Todd Flint/The Dominion Post Morgantown High’s Elliot Law goes to the basket between Wheeling Park’s Logan Beck [left] and Brad Guckert on Saturday night.
Mohigans switch things up for a win
BY JEREMY ZEIDERS For The Dominion Post
Morgantown High coach Tom Yester found what he was looking for midway through the first quarter.
With his Morgantown high boys basketball team in a tight game with non-conference opponent Wheeling Park, Yester found a match-up that benefited his squad.
The game was nip and tuck, but Wheeling Park’s junior center Matthew Pearson was causing problems in the paint hitting four straight layups. Coach Yester inserted 6-foot-8 center Cameron Taylor and switched from man-to-man to a 1-3-1 zone. The matchup of Taylor on Pearson thrust the Mohigans (10-5) to a 56-36 victory.
“We put Taylor in there and switched to the zone and it was a little bit harder for them to find anyone open near the basket,” Yester said. “Match-ups are what we look for and it was a great move in terms of matchups.”
The game was close in the first half, despite the Mohigans opening the second quarter on an 8-2 run that forced a Patriot timeout, the half ended with a 24-18 Mohigan advantage.
The second half began with the Mohigans in man-to-man defense. It was the defense that allowed them to storm ahead. Following a Jay Fletcher three, J.T. Lewis earned a steal and a breakaway layup. Moments later, Lewis swiped the ball again and dished to teammate Tyrell Rembert for another layup with 2:24 remaining in the third quarter and the Mohigans holding a 35-24 lead. Rembert then added a 3-pointer and the Mohigans took their biggest lead at 40-27 into the final quarter.
“We changed up our rotation a little bit and went big with big after we started with speed,” Yester said. “Our guys did a good job of running the floor tonight and it gave us the advantage.”
In the fourth, Morgantown looked to its seniors to put the game out of reach. The trio of Taylor, Lewis, and Elliott Law, responded with 11 points and a few defensive stops.
“Our defense is our cornerstone and we take pride in it and our seniors are a big part of it,” Yester said. “Seniors are what makes you go most of the time.”
The seniors accounted for 60 percent of the offense as Taylor and Lewis each chipped in 13, while Law added eight.
Michael Lake had 15 for Wheeling Park (9-6) and Pearson added 13.
Todd Flint/The Dominion Post Morgantown High’s Elliot Law goes to the basket between Wheeling Park’s Logan Beck [left] and Brad Guckert on Saturday night.