Sports in The Dominion Post

This article appeared in the Dominion Post Newspaper on January 31, 2004.
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Mohigans batter Hawks on boards

Huge rebounding edge aids MHS win

Ian Benson/The Dominion Post

Morgantown High's Marlan Robinson (55) just misses swatting a shot by University's Charles Cyphert.

BY JUSTIN JACKSON

The Dominion Post

Let's see here ...

On Friday night you had a freshman emerging as a player to watch, a half-court buzzer-beater to end the first half and a minor scuffle between fans and police at the end of the game.

Ah, yes, just another typical boys' basketball game whenever the marquee reads "University High vs. Morgantown High."

As far as the game itself, the No. 2-ranked Mohigans put on a rebounding display for a 76-55 victory.

The Mohigans (12-0) racked up 27 offensive rebounds, while the Hawks (1-11) had 27 total rebounds for the game. MHS had 53 rebounds on the night.

The rebounding advantage was so overwhelming that the Mohigans' best offensive play on the night was to miss a jumpshot so they could get the rebound and stick it back up from closer in.

"It was probably the best rebounding game for us all year," said MHS forward Kameron Law, who led the team with 14 rebounds. "Definitely since the South Charleston game earlier in the year. We saw the height advantage was in our favor going in. They had one player was about 6-foot-6 and then they dropped down after that.

"We just had to get a body on that one guy and we were able to do that and we got on the glass."

Law finished with a double-double, adding a game-high 19 points. The 6-7 senior highlighted his night with a half-court heave to end the first half and give MHS a 37-26 lead.

"It was quite a night for Kameron," MHS coach Tom Yester said. "We rebounded well, but then again, we should have. The offensive rebounding was the difference tonight."

Law was joined by three other teammates in double figures. Tyler Benson scored 16, Ben Torsney added 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Chris Carey scored 11 points and added nine rebounds.

"Until our guys understand the importance of the weight room and what it can do for you, you're going to see a lot of games like this," UHS coach Bruce Clinton said. "It's not just that they're taller, but they're also stronger than we are.

"If our guys haven't learned they need to be in the weight room after this season, they're never going to learn it."

University (1-11) was led by its scoring tandem of senior Charles Cyphert (18 points) and freshman Jedd Gyorko (17 points.) Gyorko electrified the crowd with some deep 3-pointers.

"I think Gyorko is a fine ball player," Law said. "He can definitely shoot. We lost him a few times tonight and we have to get better in that area. In a few years, if he grows and gets stronger, he's going to be very good."

Even with Gyorko and Cyphert, the game closely resembled past meetings. In the 2002-03 season, the Mohigans swept the Hawks in three games by an average of 21.7 points. The two teams meet again on Feb. 13 -- the day before the Mohigans host top-ranked Mar tinsburg.

Also, as in past years, a police presence was necessary. One Morgantown High student was escorted out before the game even began. As fans began to exit at the end of the game, two people had to be controlled by Morgantown police and were later escorted off the UHS campus.

Freshman boys

Jordan Neville scored 12 points and Travis Goodwin added 11 as University High (1-6) defeated East Fairmont, 45-37. Mike Costello scored 10 points for East Fairmont.

Morgantown 76

University 55

MORGANTOWN (12-0)

Benson 5 3-5 16, Law 8 1-1 19, Jones 0 0-0 0, Holt 0 0-2 0, Torsney 5 4-6 14, Oliver 0 0-0 0, Kerns 1 0-2 2, Hall 0 1-2 1, Carey 4 3-5 11, Dunn 1 0-0 3, Straface 1 0-0 2, Robinson 3 2-2 8. Totals 28 14-25 76.

UNIVERSITY (1-11)

Gyorko 6 3-4 17, Lemine 1 0-0 3, Cyphert 5 5-8 18, Coker 1 0-0 2, Triplett 1 0-0 2, Tary 0 0-0 0, Hostetler 0 0-0 0, Jefferson 2 0-0 5, Michael 0 0-0 0, Fata 2 4-4 8. Totals 18 12-16 55.

Morgantown 18 19 21 18 -- 76

University 10 16 15 15 -- 55

3-point goals--Morgantown 6 (Benson 3, Law 2, Dunn 1), University 7 (Cyphert 3, Gyorko 2, Lemine 1, Jefferson 1). Rebounds--Morgantown 53 (Law 14), University 27 (Cyphert 7). JV--Morgantown High (10-0), 80-39 (Emil Siriwarzane 14, Andrew Dunn 10, Quinn Law 10).

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