MORGANTOWN — For one quarter Wednesday night, University High showed it was ready for another fight with its top rival.
But top-ranked Morgantown reminded everyone why it sits atop Class AAAA.
After a competitive opening eight minutes, the Mohigans turned up their defensive pressure, forced a wave of turnovers, and pulled away from the Hawks for an 86–58 victory in front of a packed house inside the Rowdie Center.
MHS (12-0) used a late first-quarter surge and a dominant third period to break the game open, turning a three-point edge after the opening quarter into a 25-point lead by the end of the third.
Morgantown coach Dave Tallman credited his team’s defensive adjustments and the energy inside the gym.
“The atmosphere was awesome tonight; packed gym, rivalry game,” Tallman said. “When they handled our pressure early, we went to something different. When we’re locked in defensively and executing our presses, that’s when we’re at our best.”
Tallman also praised his team’s shooting. Max Frey led all scorers with 21 points, while Collin Ridgeway added 13, including three triples. Waylon Colistra scored 15 inside for Morgantown.
“Our guys live in the gym,” he said. “They’re all capable shooters, and tonight we finally saw it pay off.”
As the turnovers mounted, the Mohigans outscored University 23-13 in the second quarter to take a 40-27 lead into halftime.
The Hawks hoped to establish KK Lewis and Luke Byrer in the post to open the second half, but Morgantown’s defensive pressure continued to disrupt possessions. MHS poured in 27 points in the third quarter, effectively ending any comeback hopes.
Byrer finished with 12 points for UHS, while Lewis and Eli Karpinski each scored 11.
UHS (10-4) handled the Mohigans’ early pressure, generating several easy baskets, but once MHS shifted into a half-court press, the visitors struggled to find clean looks.
The Hawks committed 10 turnovers in the first half, matching their total from the entire game in a previous loss to Morgantown earlier this season (65-55). That led to transition baskets and open perimeter shots for the Mohigans, who connected on seven first-half 3-pointers and finished with 11 for the game
Afterward, UHS coach Joe Schmidle was blunt in his assessment.
“We looked like a team that hasn’t played in two weeks,” Schmidle said. “We weren’t ready. We didn’t execute our game plan at all. We didn’t box out, didn’t rebound, missed assignments on shooters, and lost our intensity.
“Those are things you can control, and we didn’t do that.”
Both teams will host No. 4 Washington next, with Morgantown tipping off Friday at 7:30 p.m. and University scheduled to start Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
BOX SCORE
Morgantown 86, University 58
UHS 15 12 15 16 – 58
MHS 18 22 27 19 – 86
University (10-4) – Glenn Brown 1 3-5 5 Eli Karpinski 5 0-1 11 KK Lewis 4 3-4 11 Luke Byrer 6 0-0 12 Kyle Weaver 2 0-0 5 Jagger Barnes 4 0-1 8 Jack Byrer 0 3-4 3 Brady Goodenow 1 0-0 3 Totals 23 9-15 58
Morgantown (12-0) – Max Frey 5 8-8 21 Arlo Colista 2 0-0 4 Marcus Goins 3 0-0 8 Cam Kellogg 2 2-2 8 Blaze Colistra 3 2-4 8 Waylon Colistra 5 5-6 15 Kai Henkins 1 0-0 3 Collin Ridgeway 5 0-0 13 Maddox Twigg 2 0-0 4 Kooper Sainato 1 0-0 2 Totals 29 17-20 86
3pt goals made – UHS 2 (Goodenow, Weaver), MHS 11 (M. Frey 3, Ridgeway 3, Goins 2, Kellogg 2, Henkins 1).
