Many high school basketball teams across West Virginia have been forced to deal with lengthy layoffs in January as a result of winter weather.
The response that Morgantown’s girls program offered after more than two weeks between games earlier this month has only further proven the Mohigans are a legitimate threat in the landscape of Class AAAA.
Following a convincing win over John Marshall back on January 3, MHS was out of action until January 18 when it battled Parkersburg in the East Fairmont Classic.
Against the Big Reds, the Mohigans led by one at halftime and four after three quarters, before ending the game with nine unanswered points to earn a 64-52 victory.
Morgantown had little time to savor the win as it was back in action Tuesday against defending Class AAAA state champion Wheeling Park, and the Mohigans never trailed over the final three quarters in a 57-38 victory that allowed them to avenge a December loss to the Patriots and improve to 9-2.
“Morgantown is one of the best teams in the state,” WPHS head coach Ryan Young said. “They’re a hungry bunch and they got beat by us the first time, so that added a little extra motivation for them, I’m sure.”
In the first matchup between MHS and WPHS, Patriots’ senior and Duquesne signee Alexis Bordas poured in 32 points, while teammate Maggie Hupp contributed 15.
Morgantown was without UMBC signee Sadaya Jones due to illness in that contest, and Jones made her presence felt in a big way Tuesday. In addition to contributing six points and a game-high eight rebounds, Jones was instrumental in helping hold Bordas to 20 points on 28 shots — figures the Mohigans were more than content with against the state’s most capable scorer.
Morgantown head coach John Fowkes felt it was at least somewhat of a carryover from Saturday when Jones helped hold PHS guard Lauren Flanagan scoreless during the Big Reds’ six-point fourth quarter after Flanagan poured in 19 points over the first three quarters of that contest.
“The defense started in the fourth quarter Saturday night against Parkersburg,” Fowkes said. “Sadaya carried it over against Bordas. If you hold Bordas to 20 points on 28 shots and 2 for 9 from three, you’re going to win a lot of games against Wheeling Park.”
There was also significant improvement defending Hupp, who was held to one point.
Still, defeating Wheeling Park was something that had evaded Morgantown of late until Tuesday. The Patriots entered the contest with five consecutive victories over the Mohigans and had their number since Morgantown notched a win in the 2023 state title game, including avenging that setback with a win in last year’s state final.
Fowkes is his first year guiding the MHS girls, and he replaced Doug Goodwin, who held that title the last two seasons.
He has an abundance of talent to work with on a team that starts two seniors in Jones and Lucie Hatcher, a pair of sophomores and a freshman in Sydney Deusenberry.
The starting sophomores — Kayli Kellogg and Tatum DeVries — are the daughters of WVU head basketball coaches Mark Kellogg and Darian DeVries.
Kellogg led the team in scoring in the wins over Parkersburg and Wheeling Park, while combining for 41 points and 11 rebounds in the two triumphs.
DeVries has made a seamless transition after joining the program one year into high school. She adds versatility on both ends of the court and is capable of making a major impact without scoring.
“They’re a young team that’s growing and the first time they came to our place, they didn’t have Sadaya,” Young said. “They’re starting two sophomores and a freshman that have gained a lot of experience since then, and that makes a big difference. You could tell that [Tuesday]. We have to adjust if we see them again, which we probably will, and we have to match our defensive intensity from the beginning of the game and let it carry on for four quarters, even when there is a struggle on the offensive end.”
Two other sophomores have helped fill the role of the Mohigans’ top reserves in Brenna Nelson and Carper Messerly. The duo combined to make 5-of-9 shots and score 10 points with seven rebounds against the Big Reds.
Nelson was a key component of Tuesday’s win as well when she scored eight points, marking the only reserve from either team to dent the scoring column.
“The whole team calls her a freak athlete,” Fowkes said. “She does amazing things that a lot of girls basketball players can’t do. She has that quick first step and off the bounce, she finishes at the rim. She just keeps coming along and every practice, she gets better and better. That’s a girl they have to watch out for down the stretch.”