Sports in The Dominion Post

This article appeared in the Dominion Post Newspaper on March 1, 2004.
Mohigans won't dwell on defeat

Must prepare for Friday sectional vs. University

Bob Gay/The Dominion Post

Morgantown High's Kameron Law drives to the basket in a recent victory over Elkins.

BY JUSTIN JACKSON

The Dominion Post

Win or lose, no matter the significance, Morgantown High boys' coach Tom Yester wasted no time Sunday.

Parkersburg South blitzed the top-ranked Mohigans, 73-51, Saturday night, a loss that cost MHS its undefeated season. Still, Yester was at the school Sunday breaking down film and making preparations for Friday's sectional tournament game with University High. Even with the loss, the Mohigans remained at the top of the state's Associated Press poll on Sunday.

"The guys will be a lot more sad about the loss 10 years from now when they realize they had a shot at an undefeated season," Yester said.

But, being the veteran coach Yester is, he realizes there's more important things to worry about.

"The hell with it now," Yester said. "Undefeated, not undefeated, you can't dwell on it now. It doesn't do any good to worry about it."

The Mohigans will still enter the postseason as one of the favorites to win the Class AAA title and finished the regular season as the only Class AAA school with 20 or more victories.

"I've told the kids all year they have to realize that things aren't as good as they seem when you win and they're not as bad when you lose," Yester said. "The loss doesn't change anything for us when you talk about the grand scheme of things."

It was a bad game for the Mohigans (21-1) in the sense that guard Tyler Benson and forward Kameron Law combined for just four points. Law finished the game without a field goal.

The Patriots (15-7) meanwhile went on a tear from the start, outscoring the Mohigans, 26-10, in the first quarter.

"And that was the ball game," Yester said. "You really have to credit Parkersburg South and you also have to credit their fans. The atmosphere down there was absolutely nuts. Their fans were rocking and rolling and their players fed off it."

The Mohigans will begin fresh today with its first practice after a loss.

"Was it disappointing? Yes," Yester said. "Now, you just have to go back to work and work hard. We'll start Monday. We'll watch film and we'll practice and get ready for University High. That's all you can do at this point."

The loss puts the race for the Class AAA title in a new light. Suddenly, Parkersburg South, which won it all last year, becomes a team to watch out for.

Also, No. 2 Woodrow Wilson, which finished its regular season with an 84-69 victory over No. 5 Martinsburg, re-establishes itself as a favorite. The same can also be said for No. 3 Huntington and No. 4 South Charleston, which also finished their regular seasons on a positive note, something the Mohigans couldn't do.

"It's definitely wide open," Yester said. "But, I always thought it was wide open. Huntington is playing really well right now. They may be the hottest team going in.

"Right now, I have to assume that we'll forget the loss and just get back to where we were before it."