‘Adjust, adjust, adjust’ just what Mohigans need to win

Morgantown High retools at half, pulls away from Preston

BY JUSTIN JACKSON The Dominion Post
    It took some time, but the sixth-ranked Morgantown High boys’ basketball team figured out Preston’s style of play Tuesday night and ran away for a 62-44 victory.
    The Knights’ offensive style, a slow tempo with calculated shots designed to frustrate quick and athletic teams, worked for the first two quarters, as MHS led just 25-21 at the half.
    “All we did at halftime was make adjustments — adjust, adjust, adjust,” MHS coach Tom Yester said.
    The adjustments worked. The Mohigans (14-2) were able to get out and run and put together some easy baskets.
    “It worked for a while,” Preston coach Barry Sanders said. “Then, all of a sudden, they’re up 18 points. They finally got the tempo they wanted and we couldn’t get back into ours. You have to give them credit, they’re a good team.”
    The third quarter was the difference, as MHS upped its lead to 39-25 midway through the period. It was the usual culprits for the Mohigans — Chris Carey and Marlan Robinson each scored seven points in the quarter to spark the spurt.
    “The bottom line is, you have to make shots against their defense,” Yester said. “You get good shots and you make them. If you start making shots, it changes their game and gets them to chase you a little bit, which is what happened in the second half.
    “The first half we were here and there on shots and it allowed them to stay in their type of game.”
    Carey finished with 23 points and Robinson had 13, but the Mohigans also won the defensive battle. “They were better in the middle than we were tonight,” Sanders said.
It showed, as Preston (7-6) was outrebounded, 30-13. The Knights had only four rebounds in the second half.
“There weren’t a lot of rebounds to have on both sides,” Yester said. “Preston does a nice job with their style and it limits the number of possessions you have during the game. We usually get 65 or so possessions a game. We were nowhere close to that tonight.”
    Dane Greaser led PHS with 14 points, while Chad Chambers and Josh Adams each added 10.
    Andrew Dunn and Quinn Law each added eight points points for the Mohigans.
Bob Gay/The Dominion Post Morgantown’s Chris Carey (front) sets up to shoot against Preston’s Chad Chambers. Carey led the Mohigans with 23 points in their victory against the Knights.
(6) Morgantown 62 Preston 44
    PRESTON (7-6)
    Hooton 0 5-5 5, Wotring 0 0-0 0, Johnson 0 0-0 0, Mersing 0 0-0 0, Myers 1 0-0 3, Chambers 4 0-0 10, Greaser 4 4-4 14, DuPont 1 0-0 2, Adams 5 0-0 10, Kelly 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 9-9 44.
    MORGANTOWN (14-2)
    Siriwardane 0 0-0 0, Kerns 1 0-0 2, Lindsay 2 0-0 5, Oliver 1 0-0 3, Carey 6 9-11 23, Law 2 4-4 8, Hatfield 0 0-0 0, Robinson 3 7-11 13, Holt 0 0-0 0, Dunn 4 0-0 8. Totals 19 20-26 62. Preston 11 10 11 12 — 44 Morgantown 15 10 20 17 — 62
    3-pointgoals—Preston 5 (Greaser 2, Chambers 2, Myers 1), Morgantown 4 (Carey 2, Lindsay 1, Oliver 1). Rebounds—Morgantown 30 (Robinson 6), Preston 13 (Adams 3). Juniorvarsity—Morgantown 57 (Long 12), Preston 48 (Jennings 15).