MHS pounds Hawks

UHS can’t stop crosstown rivals

BY ERIC HANLON The Dominion Post

Minutes before WVU and Pitt slugged it out at the Petersen Events Center, another rivalry game had just finished. Playing at home, Morgantown High put it to its crosstown rivals, and walked away with a 64-33 win.
“There isn’t any love lost between these two schools,” MHS senior Sam Runner said. “You can throw the records out when we play.”
Runner can throw the records out all he wants, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Mohigans (12-3) have now beaten the Hawks (4-11) by a total of 69 points in their two games this season.
“Right now we’re not very strong with the ball. We’re having trouble rotating and holding it and end up not doing anything with it,” UHS head coach Paul Ingle said. “We didn’t identify where the ball needed to go. The last time we had that problem was, well, the last time we played Morgantown.”
The loss put an end to what would’ve been the Hawks first winning streak of the season. Since losing to Morgantown, 73-35 on Jan. 29, the Hawks won two straight games.
Prior to that, UHS had lost 9-of-10.
Meanwhile, MHS is fresh off what was a 10-game winning streak of its own, that just recently ended against Greenbrier East, this past week.
But even as two teams headed in opposite directions, MHS head coach Tom Yester was sure that is doesn’t take away from the MHSUHS rivalry.
“You still have to beat them,” Yester said. “Even if they’re struggling, the first thing people ask me when they see me is, ‘Did you beat University High?’ Even someone I haven’t seen in a really long time, the first thing they ask is, ‘Did you beat University High?’ So, you still have to beat them and in a rivalry game, you never know what’s going to happen.”
University actually played well early on, and trailed just 14-12 after the first quarter.
But, things changed quickly after that as the Mohigans rolled off a 26-5 run that stretched into the second half.
“We played better at periods of time, and then we gave up an eight or nine point streak,” Ingle said. “It seems like we don’t have an answer for it.” Runner led all players with 17 points and nine rebounds despite playing just three quarters.
Fellow MHS senior Ryan Parsons also had a strong game, scoring 14 points, while the MHS bench contributed 22 points.
“That’s really important,” Runner said of the Mohigans bench play. “If we ever have a night when the starters aren’t producing, it’s nice to know you can rely on your bench to give you quality minutes and quality points.”
UNIVERSITY (4-11)
Harrison 1 0-0 2, Perrott 2 1-1 6, Stanley 2 0-0 5, Favro 0 2-2 2, Marcucci Payne 1 2-3 4, Spirou 2 0-0 5, Nieman 2 0-0 4, Taddie 0 2-2 2, Baldy 0 0-0 0, Payton 1 0-0 3, Fraser 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 7-8 33.
MORGANTOWN (12-3)
Runner 6 5-6 17, Parsons 4 4-4 14, Drake 1 0-0 2, Barnett 1 2-2 4, Price 2 1-2 5, Colombo 0 0-0 0, Lusk 0 2-2 2, Watson 0 0-0 0, Meador 1 2-4 3, Keffer 1 3-4 5, Adrian 2 2-6 6, Blemmings 2 0-0 4. Totals 20 21-30 64. University 12 5 7 9 — 33 Morgantown
14 21 14 15 — 64
3-point goals: University 4 (Perrott, Stanley, Spirou, Payton), Morgantown 3 (Parsons 2, Meador).

Ron Rittenhouse/ The Dominion Post
Morgantown’s Nathan Adrian (25)
fights for a rebound with University’s Anthony Marcucci.