Mohigans whip Parkersburg South
Win run-gun game, 85-76
BY JUSTIN JACKSON
The Dominion Post
PARKERSBURG -- Morgantown High forward Ronnie Shaver and his teammates couldn't wait to get on the bus Wednesday.
He knew once they got off, they would be running.
Hindered for most of the season playing against teams that wouldn't run after a pretty girl, the sixth-ranked Mohigans raced past No. 8 Parkersburg South, 85-76.
"We love to run, that's our style," Shaver said after scoring 27 points and grabbing seven rebounds. "We knew that Parkersburg South liked to play the same style. We knew coming in to tonight's game that it was going to be a track meet."
Which it was, with both teams running fast breaks, shooting 3-pointers, and driving for layups from the beginning.
Defense? Forget about it. Outside of some full-court pressure that rarely made a difference for either team, the only defense that was played was steals created by bad passes.
"We were ready for their tempo," Shaver said. "We came into this game with a lot of intensity and desire. We wanted this game badly."
The victory gave the Mohigans (13-3) a season sweep of the Patriots (9-7). It also was their first win ever at Rod Oldham Athletic Center.
"Not too many teams can come in here and say that," MHS coach Tom Yester said. "I would have to say that this was one of the most quality wins for this program ever."
After a first quarter that saw Parkersburg South lead, 16-15, the lowest-scoring quarter of the game, the Mohigans took control.
"Our shooting took over after the first quarter," Yester said. "Actually, both teams started shooting better. I mean, they finished with seven 3-pointers. Hey, I'm glad they only had seven."
The Mohigans finished with five, with Bobby Prim and Nick Hedges each hitting two and Justin Vidovich one.
Now the question is: How did the Mohigans turn on their running game after playing almost an entire season against teams that, if you said they played a slow-tempo game, would be putting it mildly?
"Coach Yester runs us every day in practice," Shaver said. "We may not go up against a lot of teams that play a faster tempo, but we get our fill of it in practice."
Prim added 14 points for the Mohigans, while Hedges and Vidovich each scored 13. Seth Fogarty had eight points.
Matt Shamblin scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half to lead Parkersburg South.
MORGANTOWN 85, PARKERSBURG SOUTH 76
MORGANTOWN (13-3)
Hedges 4 3-4 13, Prim 6 0-1 14, Shaver 12 3-4 27, Vidovich 6 0-0 13, Dalton 0 0-0 0, Fogarty 4 0-0 8, Murray 1 0-0 2, Rodamer 2 0-0 4, Simpson 1 2-2 4. Totals 36 8-11 85.
PARKERSBURG SOUTH (9-7)
Shamblin 11 2-2 27, Dawson 3 3-4 9, Ross 3 0-0 8, Baileys 1 0-0 3, Nix 1 1-1 3, Balsley 0 0-0 0, Squires 4 2-3 11, Sponseller 4 1-2 9, Tunnell 2 2-2 6. Totals 29 11-14 76.
Morgantown High15 22 23 25 -- 85
Parkersburg South16 14 29 17 -- 76
3-point goals--Morgantown 5 (Hedges 2, Prim 2, Vidovich 1), Parkersburg South 7 (Shamblin 3, Ross 2, Baileys, Squires 1). Rebounds--Morgantown 40 (Shaver, Hedges 7), Parkersburg South 26 (Shamblin 7).
South falls to Mohigans, 85-76
By ADAM C. GIBSON
For Parkersburg South boys basketball fans, Wednesday's 85-76 loss
to visiting Morgantown will be hopefully, "The last of the Mohigans"
in the Rod Oldham Athletic Center.
No. 8 Parkersburg South entered the contest after a road win against
Robert C. Byrd on Monday by a tally of 68-63; No. 6 Morgantown carried
momentum from its home victory over North Marion.
After dueling back-and-forth for a majority of the first quarter,
South led Morgantown at the end of the first eight minutes of play
by a mere one point, 16-15.
The Mohigans reloaded for the second quarter, regaining the lead
with five minutes to play before the start of the second half.
Morgantown's 6-0 run ignited the defensive stand against Parkersburg
South, limiting the Patriots to four points in four minutes during
the back stretch of the second quarter.
Entering the final minute of the first, Parkersburg South trailed
by as many as 11 points, although Morgantown headed to the locker
room ahead by a 37-30 margin.
Morgantown held Parkersburg South's Matt Shamblin to four points
throughout the first half and midway through the contest, Nick Squires
and Ryan Dawson led the Patriots with six points each after 16 minutes
of play.
Parkersburg South, which lost to Morgantown (84-74) in the W.Va.
Coaches Against Cancer Classic on the Mohigans' home floor, entered
the second half looking to hold Morgantown winless at the Rod Oldham
Athletic Center.
The Mohigans initiated the third quarter on an 8-2 run, leading 45-
32 with six minutes remaining before the final quarter.
Shamblin brought down the wall Morgantown had built around him, scoring
16 of his game-high 27 points in the third quarter. The Patriots
diminished Morgantown's lead, which rose as high as 12 points, preparing
for quarter number four, down by a single point.
Squires lofted a layup into the nylon net at the buzzer, setting
the score at 60-59 (Morgantown) and bringing Parkersburg South to
its closest margin since the end of the first quarter when the Patriots
led 16-15.
Following the third quarter comeback, engineered by Shamblin, Parkersburg
South found itself down by three points, as the scoreboard read Morgantown
70, Parkersburg South 67 with five minutes remaining in regulation.
Parkersburg South was unable to recover from the offensive output
by Mohigan Ronnie Shaver, who also had a game-high 27 points.
As the final sixty seconds took their spotlight on the clock, Morgantown
had built an 83-76 lead over the Patriots.
Morgantown scored an additional layup finalizing the score at 85-
76, recording Morgantown's first-ever season sweep of the Patriots,
not to mention the first win on the Parkersburg South hardwood.
Parkersburg South (9-7) shot 9-12 from the foul line, while Morgantown
(13-3) was 8-11 from the charity stripe.
"I hate to lose, but Morgantown is a very good team," Parkersburg
South coach Joe Crislip said following the game.
"They (Morgantown) have lots of weapons, although I have seen us
(South) play worse and obviously play better," Crislip added as he
inhaled the loss.
Parkersburg South played the game without Trent McCallister, who
averages nine points a game. McCallister is recovering from a shoulder
injury and is expected to play on Friday.
Parkersburg South will welcome river rival in No. 7 Parkersburg High
(12-4) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Rod Oldham Athletic Center.
"It is always fun to play Parkersburg High, they are our rival and
its our third game this week so it will be tough," Crislip added.