MORGANTOWN 81 EAST FAIRMONT 24
MHS bench buries Bees
Drake, Lusk defense pace the easy win
BY BENJAMIN ZWEIMAN
For The Dominion Post
Senior guard Carlton Drake came off the bench and scored 14 points to lead the Morgantown Mohigans (6-1) past the East Fairmont Bees (6-4), 81-24, Tuesday, in Morgantown.
Senior Taylor Price and junior Samuel Lusk added 10 apiece for Morgantown. Senior Tyler McCutchan led the Bees with seven points.
The bench came up big for Morgantown, scoring 45 of the Mohigans’ 81 points. Most notable was the performance of Drake, who came off the bench a few minutes into the first quarter and provided a spark that helped Morgantown to an insurmountable lead early in the game.
“I just felt like if I was going to come off the bench I was going to bring some fire,” Drake said. “I was just feeling it tonight, so I just put the shots up and they were going in, so I kept shooting them.”
Drake wasn’t the only one who contributed off the bench. Lusk was given some open looks from distance and was able to cash in with two big 3-pointers.
MHS coach Tom Yester was satisfied with the bench’s solid performance. “Off the bench, Drake and Lusk really picked us up. Drake really sparked us tonight, really got us going.”
The Mohigans’ defense also came up big, pestering East Fairmont all night long. With a significant size advantage, the Mohigans were able to use their length to force turnovers and rip down rebounds, making sure the Bees weren’t allowed second-chances.
Forward Nathan Adrian, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, led Morgantown in rebounds, pulling down six. Price added five. The two were dominant down low all game.
Senior guard Michael Keffer was given the assignment of locking down Bees shooter Tyler McCutchan and was successful.
“I liked the defensive intensity, I think that was the difference in the game,” Yester said. “The defense was consistent all night long. Keffer’s defense on their shooter, McCutchan, was excellent. We were taller and a little bigger than them, so I thought we could take advantage.”
The Mohigans missed only 18 shots and collected eight offensive rebounds, making it tough for East Fairmont to make any sort of run. The two guards, Drake and Keffer, combined for six blocks, making it nearly impossible for the Bees to get any easy shots inside.
“Defensively, I think we got the job done,” Price said. “Against better teams, we’re always going to have to pick up our intensity, but overall I think we did a pretty good job.”
East Fairmont (6-5) next plays North Marion at home.
The Mohigans (7-1) are on a five-game winning streak but will have a tough task Thursday night, at home, against No. 9-ranked Fairmont Senior (9-1). The Mohigans then take on Thomas Jefferson (N.Y.) on Friday, in the PrimeTime Shootout at University High. Yester is taking things one game at a time, focusing on Fairmont Senior.
“They will be a handful,” he said. “So we’re going to have to come out and play another good defensive game and get the ball inside.”
The MHS junior varsity team also won, 76-31, led by junior Andy Maloney (14 points) and junior Connor Loudin (13).
E EA AS ST T F FA AIIR RM MO ON NT T
Casalinuova 1 0-0 2, Nuzum 1 1-2 3, Gorman 1 0-0 3, McCutchan 3 0-0 7, Davis 2 1-2 6, Bowman 0 2-4 2, Bower 0 1-2 1. Totals 8 5-10 24.
M MO OR RG GA AN NT TO OW WN N
Berryhill 2 0-0 5, Lusk 3 2-2 10, Colasante 1 0-0 2, Watson 1 0-0 2, Keffer 3 3-4 9, Marshall 3 3-3 9, Drake 7 0-0 14, Adrian 3 4-8 10, Blemings 3 0-0 6, Agnew 1 0-0 2, Price 3 4-5 10, Loudin 1 0-0 2. Totals 31 16-22 81. East Fairmont 2 13 9 0 — 24 Morgantown 20 21 22 18 — 81 3-point goals: MHS 3 (Lusk 2, Berryhill), East Fairmont 3 (Davis, McCutchan, Nuzum).

Bob Gay/The Dominion Post
Morgantown High’s Sam Lusk (center) loses the ball in a collision with East Fairmont’s Tyler McCutchan (left) and Jacob Bower, in Tuesday’s game.