MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — When Morgantown and University’s girls basketball teams met for the second time this season 11 days earlier, the Mohigans rode sophomore guard Kayli Kellogg’s 38-point effort to a 66-62 victory.
So as the teams geared up for Monday’s matchup in an Ohio Valley Athletic Conference 5A semifinal at MHS, the Mohigans put an emphasis on defensive improvement against the only team that’s scored 60 points on them this season.
Thanks to hold UHS to one field goal in the second quarter, Morgantown gained control and never looked back in a 62-45 victory — the Mohigans’ sixth straight win.
“The last time we played them at their gym, we didn’t execute defensively the way we wanted to,” MHS head coach John Fowkes said. “We didn’t hedge, talk or switch the way we usually do. We knew we had Linsly coming in [last] Friday, but all week, we were secretly preparing for University and working on hedging ball screens and the press. We wanted to put some pressure on them and make them play 94 feet, because we knew their depth was not as great as ours and wanted to use that to our advantage.”
While Kellogg made two three-pointers in the opening quarter, the Hawks (10-6) hung tough, with the game tied at 11 before Morgantown’s Brenna Nelson made a midrange jumper for the final points of the frame.
The Mohigans (12-2) led 14-12 before running off 12 straight points to open up a comfortable lead they’d maintain throughout the remainder of the game. During that stretch, Sadaya Jones scored on a leaner and Tatum DeVries drained a trey off the wing, before Jones made 1-of-2 free throws. Kellogg converted a floater shortly after and out of a timeout, Jones accounted for consecutive buckets to make it 26-12.
“Sadaya is on a mission,” Fowkes said. “She really wants it bad. She wants an OVAC championship. She wants to go to Charleston and do big things.”
A Bri Fox layup came after two Lexi Simpson free throws, allowing the Hawks to pull to within 10 before DeVries accounted for a conventional three-point play with less than 1 second left in the half.
Morgantown limited University to 6-of-21 shooting in the first half to lead by 13.
“They play good defense, but we didn’t execute very well,” Hawks’ head coach Nick Lusk said. “And then with rebounding, we could get out in transition, which we didn’t do.”
The teams went back-and-forth in the third, which featured eight points from University’s Hannah Stemple, who made two threes in the period. But the Hawks hardly gained ground, and Jones’ three-point play with 1:39 left in the quarter, along with another one from Lucie Hatcher not long after, helped the home team hold a 42-30 lead through three.
Kellogg and University’s Julia Maisel traded triples to start the fourth-quarter scoring, before Nelson made one from the corner. Nelson added another three with 5:52 remaining, allowing MHS to lead, 51-35.
Although the Hawks got to within 11 on Alexa Johnson’s layup with 3:10 remaining, the Mohigans countered with the next nine points, including five from Kellogg, who made her fourth and final three with 1:12 left.
“We couldn’t make shots and give them credit, because a lot has to do with their defense,” Lusk said.
Kellogg led all players with 20 points and made 8-of-12 shots.
Jones finished with 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds to key Morgantown’s 39-28 rebounding edge.
“We’re going to crash three on the offensive glass against the zone and get two back right away,” Fowkes said. “That’s what we did and we hurt them with our offensive rebounding a little bit, too. It’s hard to rebound out of a zone and other than Simpson, they’re kind of undersized. We’re pretty long, lanky and athletic, and all of our kids rebound pretty well.”
Nelson added 10 points and six boards, while DeVries scored nine in the win.
Johnson and Stemple scored 11 apiece for UHS, while Maisel added 10 in defeat.
The Hawks shot 17 for 49 and were outscored by 15 points on triples.
“We talk about defense winning games,” Lusk said, “but if you can’t put the ball in the basket, you’re not going to win many games either.”
The Mohigans will face Steubenville, Ohio on Saturday in the OVAC 5A title game.