MORGANTOWN 71 JOHN MARSHALL 33
Mohigans maul Monarchs
All 4 seniors contribute on their night

BY DEVON UNGER
For The Dominion Post

Early mistakes couldn’t derail the Morgantown High boys’ basketball team in its 71-33 Senior Night blowout of John Marshall on Saturday.
Morgantown’s seniors looked good early, scoring 12 of the No. 4-ranked Mohigans’ 19 first-quarter points. Christian Allen found his stroke from outside, hitting two 3-pointers, and Connor Loudin and Nick Fullmer found offensive rebounds for their points to help MHS (17-5) build an early lead on the Monarchs (7-15).
After opening the game on a 7-0 run, the Mohigans began to falter, throwing errant passes and allowing Monarchs center Justin Wade to get offensive rebounds and entry passes for easy layups. MHS got its 19-18 lead after the first peri- od because junior Nathan Adrian hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
“We started a little too excited or a little too out of it, or whatever, and then the second quarter we settled down and played a little basketball,” MHS head coach Tom Yester said.
The second period was all Morgantown. MHS began using a stifling fullcourt press, getting steals and quick baskets in transition. Adrian and Dean Marshall started to get to the free-throw line and Marshall added two 3-pointers to help the Mohigans build a 38-25 halftime lead.
Things only got worse for the Monarchs after the break. Morgantown began the second half with a dominating 17-2 run, quickly putting the game out of reach for good.
“We turned up the pressure a little bit, and they had trouble with the pressure. We got out and made some easy baskets. I don’t think they had the firepower to come back,” Yester said.
All four Mohigans seniors contributed in the win. Fullmer put in nine points while grabbing five rebounds, Loudin had eight points and eight rebounds. Allen did his damage early with the two first-quarter 3s, and Nick Fleming helped finish the game in the fourth with a 3 and two free throws on his way to five points.
Adrian and Marshall, both juniors, led the Mohigans with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Wade led the Monarchs with 11 points, and Evan Magers added nine for JMHS.
Loudin said it was a nice way to end his last regular season with the Mohigans, but he knows this isn’t his last chance to don a Morgantown uniform.
“It feels good, after four years, it’s exciting to see my senior class play like that,” he said. “We’re ready to step up (in the playoffs) and show everyone how good we are.”
JOHN MARSHALL (7-15)
Och 1 0-0 3, Wade 5 1-2 11, Fonner 2 2-4 7, Magers 3 2-2 9, Brautigan 0 1-4 1, Allen 0 1-2 1. Totals: 11 7-14 33.
MORGANTOWN (17-5)
Fleming 1 2-2 5, Allen 2 0-0 6, Adrian 7 2-2 17, Fullmer 4 1-1 9, Loudin 3 2-2 8, Colasante 1 0-0 2, Marshall 5 3-4 16, Leftridge 2 0-0 4, Johnson 1 0-0 2, Eby 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 10-11 71.
Morgantown High 19 19 17 16 — 71
John Marshall 18 7 5 3 — 33
3-point goals: Morgantown 7 (Marshall 3, Allen 2, Adrian, Fleming), John Marshall 3 (Och, Fonner, Magers).

Jason DeProspero/The Dominion Post
Morgantown High’s Dean Marshall
(left) drives to the basket and draws a foul from John Marshall’s Justin Wade, in Saturday’s game.