CHARLESTON – They say it’s difficult to adjust to shooting the basketball inside a venue like the Charleston Coliseum when players are used to doing so daily in a high school gym.
Don’t tell that to Spring Mills, who shot 71% (30/42) from the field on Friday night in the Class AAAA semifinals against Morgantown en route to a 73-57 victory in the 2026 WVSSAC boys state basketball tournament.
The Cardinals will battle George Washington for the second consecutive season in the Class AAAA state championship on Friday evening.
MHS (21-3) made just 4 of its 21 attempts from 3-point range, while the Cardinals (21-2) converted 11 shots from deep in only 17 tries.
“First thing, congratulations to Spring Mills, that’s one of the most impressive performances I’ve seen down here,” MHS head coach Dave Tallman said. “They were a tough matchup for us, and we tried to go zone and show some different coverages, and they made us pay when we missed them. When they get loose, they’re going to knock it down. Credit to them, they made a lot of tough shots.”
Five players scored in double figures for Spring Mills, led by junior K’Nes Stovall with 19 points off the bench (8/10 FGs). He was joined by Tyler Jones (16), Akwasi Opoku-Achampong (15), Chase Jones (13), and Xavier Anderson (10).
Morgantown senior Waylon Colistra capped off an incredible career with the Mohigans with 17 points and nine rebounds after an effort of 32 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in the quarterfinals against Riverside.
Spring Mills led by just one possession after the opening quarter, 13-11. Opoku-
Achampong only attempted one shot in the first, as the Mohigans’ initial defensive look kept the Cardinals’ perimeter threat at bay.
But the returning first-team All-State selection caught fire in the second, scoring 11 of his 15 points in the quarter. He nailed 3 of his 4 attempts from long-range, capped with a 37-foot no-doubter just before time expired.
Tallman thought there was a definite difference between the two quarters in the first half.
“They just made shots, they got loose, and credit to them for that,” he said. “They’re a heck of a team. I thought Anderson was a great facilitator when he had the ball, and that they have a high basketball IQ as a team.”
Stovall took his turn in the third quarter 11 of his game-high 19 points and three triples.
Morgantown sophomore Kai Henkins contributed 10 points off the bench with a pair of 3s and 4 of 7 shooting overall.
The Mohigans will say goodbye to an impactful senior class of Waylon Colistra, Camden Kellogg, Marcus Goins, and Jayden Smalls, who were a part of the 2024 state championship roster.
“This program means everything to me,” Colistra said. “These guys are all my brothers, I love them all. I appreciate all my coaches and every opportunity they’ve ever given me. They’ve helped me become a better player and a better person. This is family for life.”
Tallman echoed the words of his senior captain.
“I love these seniors that are up here,” he said. “We’ve been truly blessed. This is our sixth straight semifinal and we won three titles and were the runner up another year. We don’t take that for granted. I’m proud to be the coach at Morgantown and proud of these guys. They’re going to be successful in life and had a heck of a career here.”
BOX SCORE
Spring Mills 73, Morgantown 57
SM 13 24 21 15 – 73
MHS 11 11 14 21 – 57
Spring Mills (21-2) – Stovall 8 0-0 19 T. Jones 6 0-0 16 Opoku-Achampong 6 0-0 15 C. Jones 6 0-0 13 Anderson 4 2-2 10 TOTALS 30 2-2 73
Morgantown (21-3) – W. Colistra 7 3-7 17 Henkins 4 0-0 10 Frey 4 1-2 9 Ridgeway 3 0-0 6 Goins 1 2-2 5 Kellogg 1 1-2 3 DeBastiani 1 0-0 3 A. Colistra 1 0-0 2 B. Colistra 1 0-0 2 TOTALS 23 7-13 57
3pt goals made – Spring Mills 11 (T. Jones 4 Stovall 3 Opoku-Achampong 3 C. Jones 1); Morgantown 4 (Henkins 2 Goins 1 DeBastiani 1).
