This senior moment unforgettable
Point guard Lindsay lifts Mohigans to victory
BY TODD MURRAY The Dominion Post
TODD MURRAY is a sports reporter for The Dominion Post. He can be reached at sports@dominionpost.com
Morgantown High point guard Jeff Lindsay wasn’t bashful about admitting it.
He was looking forward to Friday’s Senior Night game against North Central Athletic Conference rival Fairmont Senior — and the enthusiasm showed in Lindsay’s play.
The 6-foot, 155-pounder scored a game-high 18 points, dished out four assists, made three steals and blocked one shot as the No. 8 Mohigans rolled to a 72-47 victory, at the MHS gymnasium.
“As a team, I thought we played pretty well,” Lindsay said. “Individually, I had my moments. I thought I could have done a little more in certain spots, maybe shoot some outside shots and pass the ball a little better, but overall I’m happy.”
MHS’s fourth straight win boosted its record to 16-5 overall, 11-3 in the conference. The Mohigans, who finished second in the NCAC, close out the regular season today with a 7:30 p.m. home makeup game, against No. 5 Martinsburg.
Lindsay watched from the stands six years ago as his brother, Ryan, also a point guard, played his last home game for the Mohigans.
It was a night he hasn’t forgotten.
“I remember how happy he was,” Lindsay said. “He also had mixed emotions. He was sad because it was his last game. I have another game [today], but it was nice to have all the students in school come out to see you on Senior Night. It was real fun.”
After a tough early start, in which the Polar Bears jumped out to a 10-4 lead, the Mohigans turned up the defensive intensity and reeled off 22 unanswered points to take control of the game.
Lindsay and fellow senior John Hatfield sparked the outburst, combining for 13 of those 22 points.
“Those are the two seniors with the most experience, and they looked like it,” said MHS coach Tom Yester, who put an allsenior starting lineup on the floor.
Lindsay and Hatfield teamed for 19 points in a first half that ended with the Mohigans holding a comfortable 35-18 advantage.
“The defense kicked it up, and we were able to get fast-break layups,” Lindsay said. “It’s easy when you’re getting layups. If you force them into bad shots or bad passes, you can run out.
“That’s what we did in Fairmont [in a 68-48 win, on Jan. 20]. We had another slow start down there when we played them the first time. The second half, we came out and kicked up the defense and were able to get easy buckets.”
Yester wasn’t complaining.
“From the point of 10-4 until they scored a bunch of points at the end of the fourth quarter with the subs in, we played pretty well,” he said. “We took control of the game and let the seniors go out the way they should go out on Senior Night.”
Hatfield finished with 11 points, six rebounds, four steals and five assists. J.T. Lewis came off the bench in the second half to score nine points, grab six rebounds and make three steals. Jamie Karraker registered eight points, and Cameron Taylor added seven.
“A lot of guys did a lot of good stuff,” Yester said.
Ben Kettering paced Fairmont Senior (10-12, 6-8) with 12 points before being ejected with 2:30 to play in the third quarter after tangling with MHS’s Elliott Law.
After tonight’s meeting against Martinsburg, the Mohigans turn their attention to Friday’s sectional matchup at city-rival University High, which swept MHS in the two regular-season meetings.
“It’s always nice to get a little momentum going into sectionals, especially when you’re playing your crosstown rival and they beat you twice this year,” Lindsay said. “Everybody is going to be real excited for the game.”
FAIRMONT SENIOR (10-12, 6-8 NCAC) Pellillo 1 1-2 3, Maddox 2 0-0 5, McCullough 2 0-0 5, Kettering 4 4-7 12, Janes 1 0-1 2, Satterfield 0 0-1 0, Angeline 0 0-0 0, Besedich 1 0-0 2, Raikes 3 1-3 7, Buonaiuto 1 0-0 2, Copney 4 0-1 9. Totals 19 6-15 47. MORGANTOWN (16-5, 11-3) Hatfield 3 5-6 11, Lindsay 6 6-6 18, Ramsey 1 0-0 3, Pearson 2 1-3 5, Holt 1 0-0 2, Taylor 2 3-3 7, Lewis 3 3-5 9, Karraker 3 0-0 8, Law 2 0-1 4, Carey 0 0-0 0, Fletcher 1 0-0 3, Schifano 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 18-24 72. Fairmont Senior 10 8 8 21 — 47 Morgantown 10 25 21 16 — 72 3-pointers—Fairmont Senior 3 (Maddox, McCullough, Copney), Morgantown 4 (Karraker 2, Ramsey, Fletcher). JV--Morgantown 68, Fairmont Senior 42 (Tyrell Rembert 28)