MORGANTOWN — Trinity Christian senior Austin Porta has been one of the hottest scorers in the entire state since Christmas. In his last five games, he’s scored 33, 21, 30, 23, and most recently, 40 points. What’s even more impressive is the fact that Porta shoots 53% from the field and 52% from 3-point range. In his last four games, he’s made at least five triples, nailing eight in one and nine in another. The Trinity boys’ basketball team sits at 9-1, riding a six-game win streak, and will travel to face Madonna on Friday night.
University head coach Joe Schmidle earned his 200th win at the helm of the program on Wednesday night, as the Hawks defeated Wheeling Park 47-40 at home. It was their ninth win of the season with only two losses. Schmidle’s first shot at win No. 201 will come Friday night against Morgantown High.
Morgantown followed up its 68-66 overtime victory over Parkersburg South last week with a 64-53 win against Aliquippa (Pa.) on Saturday. The Mohigans bring an unbeaten record of 8-0 to Baker’s Ridge on Friday night for a huge matchup against crosstown rival University High.
Clay-Battelle remains unbeaten on the season at 8-0, its most recent win coming over Valley Wetzel (73-41). Senior Trey Huggins leads the Cee-Bees, averaging 18.8 points per game and shooting 48% from three-point range. Senior Colt Sandy is contributing a nightly double-double with 11.8 points and 10 rebounds. C-B will look to continue its winning ways against Union on Friday night.
Preston High is still searching for its first victory of the season, sitting at 0-10. The Knights have shown flashes in multiple games against top-ten opponents, but haven’t been able to get over the hump. Their next chance at win No. 1 will come Friday night at home against Grafton.
Girls’ basketball
Preston High split its pair of games over the last week with a 41-35 win over Fort Hill (Md.), followed by a 46-29 defeat to East Fairmont. The Knights forced 23 turnovers against Fort Hill with 16 steals and two drawn charges in the final minute of play to help seal the victory. Bella Miller led the way with 13 points and four steals. On the flipside, East Fairmont forced 28 turnovers from Preston in the Knights’ loss. Preston will travel to East Hardy on Saturday.
Clay-Battelle improved to 6-3 with victories over Wood County Christian (52-44) and Valley (51-30) last week. The Cee-Bees are already one win away from last season’s total of seven and will have the chance to match it on Friday night, visiting Union.
Wrestling
The 72nd annual OVAC Ron Mauck Wrestling Tournament is set for this weekend at Wesbanco Arena in Wheeling. Action began Thursday evening and will continue through Saturday evening’s championship rounds.
