MORGANTOWN – Only 24 hours removed from a comeback victory on the road over Buckhannon-Upshur (75-74) on Wednesday, the Morgantown High boys basketball team returned home on Thursday, welcoming Martinsburg to the Rowdie Center.
The Mohigans earned their state-best 18th victory of the season behind senior Waylon Colistra’s 29-point effort against the Bulldogs, 79-63. He was joined in double figures by junior Max Frey (17) and fellow senior Marcus Goins (13).
The only word to describe the Morgantown offense on Thursday is efficient, making 55% of its field goals (29/53), including 10 3-pointers on 21 attempts. The Mohigans (18-1) also shot 13 of 15 from the free-throw line.
Colistra led the way with 11 made baskets on 16 shot attempts (7/8 FT), adding five rebounds, three steals, and two assists.
“We put a lot of hard work into practice, and having teammates that trust me gives me the opportunities to have a performance like that,” Waylon said. “I’m trusting my teammates also. I know they’re going to knock down shots when it’s their time. Shoutout to their big (Michael Green), he was talented and a presence, but we work on rebounding and toughness in practice, and that’s how we prepare for a matchup like tonight.”
Three minutes into the contest, the Mohigans held a one-possession advantage until extending it to five (13-8) behind a lay-in by Colistra and a triple by Goins.
But the Bulldogs (8-12) made 7 of their 10 shot attempts in the opening frame to trail by four, 19-15, entering the second quarter.
Martinsburg opened the second with a triple to cut the lead to one, but Colistra netted five quick points to spark a 10-0 run for the Mohigans, swelling the lead to 11, 29-18.
That run grew to 25-11 over the rest of the half, giving Morgantown a 44-29 lead at the break.
“Tonight was a game we just had to fight and grind it out,” MHS head coach Dave Tallman said. “We have some tired bodies, including the coach. We went to some zones we hadn’t worked on much all year, which helped us keep some guys like Waylon and Max in the game longer. Our defense isn’t where we want it to be, but we are clicking a little bit on offense.”
Tallman’s team pushed the lead to 19 with six quick points to open the second half.
The Bulldogs cut the deficit to 13 with three minutes left in the third, but wouldn’t get any closer as Colistra, Frey, and Goins all reached double figures before the start of the fourth quarter.
Morgantown will play two final regular-season contests as Brooke visits the Rowdie Center on Monday, prior to a road trip to Charleston to visit defending Class AAAA runner-up George Washington on Thursday.
The Mohigans have already secured the top seed in the Class AAAA North Region Tournament, and will host the winner of No. 8 Jefferson and No. 9 Hedgesville on Wednesday, March 11, at 7:00 p.m.
“We were able to come together as a team after last night (against Buckhannon-Upshur), so it’s great to bounce back with a win like this,” Colistra said. “We need to be able to respond that way if we want to take states this year.”
BOX SCORE
Morgantown 79, Martinsburg 63
MART 15 14 16 18 – 63
MORG 19 25 19 16 – 79
Martinsburg (8-12) – Green 6 4-4 16 Shallis 4 0-0 11 Todd 5 0-0 10 Thompson 5 0-0 10 Ansler 2 1-2 6 Bradley 2 0-0 4 Myers 2 0-0 4 Stanley 1 0-0 2 – TOTALS 27 5-6 63
Morgantown (18-1) – W. Colistra 11 7-8 29 Frey 6 3-3 17 Goins 4 1-2 13 A. Colistra 3 2-2 9 B. Colistra 3 0-0 8 Ridgeway 1 0-0 3 Henkins 1 0-0 2 – TOTALS 29 13-15 79
3pt goals made – Morgantown 10 (Goins 4, Frey 2, B. Colistra 2, A. Colistra 1, Ridgeway 1); Martinsburg 4 (Shallis 3, Ansler 1).
