MORGANTOWN – Christmas is coming a few days early for hoops fans with the annual Hope Gas Holiday Classic happening this weekend inside the Rowdie Center at Morgantown High School.
Four teams will gather on Wilson Avenue on Friday and Saturday for four games across the two days, hosted by Morgantown High.
The Mohigans are joined by Class AAA Shady Spring and crosstown rival University, both of which made state tournament appearances last season. Rounding out the field is St. John’s Catholic Prep out of Buckeystown, Md.
“This is a great opportunity for us to open the season with some early home games, and also give our alumni who come home for the holidays and have the chance to see us play,” MHS head coach Dave Tallman said. “We are incredibly excited to welcome back our alumni who were, and still are, an outstanding group of people.”
On Saturday, MHS is honoring the 2016 state championship team as part of the ten-year celebration of the program’s first state title. They’re also honoring the 2025 state championship volleyball team on Friday evening.
Morgantown and Shady Spring will kick off the action at 6 p.m. Friday, followed by University and St. John’s Catholic. Saturday afternoon, the Hawks will battle Shady Spring, and the Mohigans will face off with the Vikings to conclude the weekend.
“Both us and UHS will have a great opportunity to compete against two outstanding programs,” Tallman said. “Shady Spring has been a powerhouse in AAA with multiple titles and is exceptionally well coached. St. John’s Catholic Prep competes in one of the top high school leagues in the country, the Baltimore Catholic League. It will be a lot of fun for every team.”
Both Morgantown and University have scored at least 85 points in their two games this season. The Hawks defeated Parkersburg 94-61 in the season-opener, following that with an 86-43 win over Fort Hill (Md.). The Mohigans moved past Wheeling Park 85-60 at WesBanco Arena, then scored 98 points in a 57-point victory the next day.
Regardless of whether you’re a fan of one of the schools competing or if you just enjoy watching some quality basketball, Morgantown High is the place to be this weekend.
“We’re playing an exciting brand of basketball this year that I think people will really enjoy,” Tallman said. “We play 13 guys and push the tempo, and I believe people will have fun watching Morgantown High this season. It should be a great weekend of hoops.”
