MORGANTOWN 73 JOHN MARSHALL 34 2-27-2013
Hawks, Mohigans advance
prove no for MHS in section opener

BY ED OWENS
The Dominion Post

The Morgantown boys’ basketball team took all the suspense out of Wednesday’s Class AAA Region 1 Section 2 semifinal against John Marshall, blowing the game open with a 17-0 run to start the second quarter and rolling to a 73-34 victory against the Monarchs.
With the win, MHS advanced to face crosstown rival University in the sectional championship game Friday.
The Mohigans (17-6) took a comfortable lead in the first quarter and used a suffocating defense to put the game away early.
The Mohigans took full command with the 17-0 streak to begin the second quarter. MHS forced 20 turnovers in the first half alone and scored 10 points off turnovers during its 17-0 run.
“We stole the ball well,” Morgantown head coach Tom Yester said. “(Mark) Johnson had four, and (Steven) Solomon, (Dan) Eby and (R.J.) King each had three steals. That’s a really good night.”
Johnson and King also led MHS on the offensive end, tying for the team-high with 14 points each. Thomas Selby scored 10 for the Mohigans.
It was a different kind of game than the one Morgantown played against John Marshall on Friday, which MHS won, 47-27. The Monarchs tried to slow the pace, something the Mohigans looked to avoid this time around.
“I’m sure that they prepared for what we did last time, so we went out and played a different defense tonight,” Yester said. “And it worked. We pressured them and we got the ball to the rim. That’s why we played how we did: We didn’t want to give them the option to hold it.”
Senior Ryan Davis was the lone offensive spark for John Marshall. Davis scored the Monarchs’ first 11 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers to open the game, and scored 13 of the team’s 17 points in the first half.
Morgantown adjusted its game plan in the second half, limiting Davis to six points with just four field-goal attempts.
“We went out and covered him,” Yester said. “That’s it.”
Nick Colasante finished with four assists and no turnovers for MHS, while Solomon, a freshman, came off the bench to record five assists.
University knocked off Preston, 47-44, Wednesday to set up the fourth meeting between the Hawks and Mohigans this season. UHS won two of the first three and, despite being the higher seed, Yester said his squad would be the underdog heading into Friday’s matchup.
“They’ve beaten us two out of three with a couple of overtime games,” he said. “Hopefully, now it’s our turn. We’re looking for a good game and we’ll have to play well. They’re very capable. They’re athletic and we’ll have to play a heck of a game to get by them.”
MORGANTOWN (17-6)
Vac 1 2-2 4, Johnson 6 0-0 14, Colasante 3 0-0 7, Eby 0 0-0 0, Selby 4 2-4 10, Marshall 2 0-0 5, Shaw 2 0-2 4, Goldsmith 1 0-0 2, Core 2 0-0 4, Solomon 2 0-0 4, Davis 0 1-2 1, Carden 2 0-0 4, King 5 3-4 14. Totals 30 8-22 73.
JOHN MARSHALL (6-17)
Och 1 0-0 2, Davis 7 3-5 19, Kibert 0 0-0 0, Filben 1 2-2 4, Whitfield 1 0-1 2, Sadoski 1 0-0 2, Smith 1 1-1 3, Magers 0 0-0 0, Whorton 0 0-0 0, Sobutka 0 0-0 0, Brown 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 6-9 34.
John Marshall 9 8 4 13 — 34
Morgantown 20 22 12 19 — 73
3-point goals: John Marshall 2 (Davis 2). Morgantown 5 ( Johnson 2, Colasante, Marshall, King).

Bob Gay/The Dominion Post
Morgantown's Thomas Selby (center) goes for a layup around John Marshall's Richard Kibert (left) and Joshua Smith in the first half of Wednesday's sectional game.