photograph: Andrew Grimm
Steubenville’s Aiden Davis will be taking part in a layup with Morgantown during the OVAC 5A Championship game at the Eco Center on Saturday.
st. Clairesville – Sometimes basketball can simply become a game of momentum.
This was the case for the OVAC Class 5A Championship Game on Saturday.
Steubenville Big Red appeared to have all the momentum for most of the first half, but top-seeded Morgantown filmed it late in the second quarter, using the big second half to double-digit deficit Raids from and wins the meeting title with a 70-64 victory within the Eco Center.
“It can be hard to focus on coming here and playing… We’ve slowed very much, but our guys give a lot of credibility. Morgantown head coach Dave Tallman said after his team was repeated as champions: “We showed a lot of toughness and resilience. We won many championships, but we didn’t boast about it. Hmm, it’s just that these guys know how to win.
“For a while, we thought we were dead in the water there. We gave Haney and his teammates a lot of credit, and I’m really proud of it. Masu.”
After taking a narrow lead at the end of the first quarter, Steubenville (17-3) led 8-0 by 17 points in the first half with more than two minutes, but Mohegan (14– 1) break It is connected by three pointers for each of the previous last three possessions. This includes a buzzer beater that returns the deficit to 8 (42-34) to Shiguru’s numbers.
“It’s definitely difficult,” said Big Red head coach Mike Haney. “We were in a good place until the last two minutes of the second quarter. They hit these three. The last one of the buzzers cut from 11 to 1 digits and shot in the third quarter. Stopped from falling. We still had a good defense, we were tied up at the end of the third and had a chance, but we weren’t shooting the ball well.
“It’s a game of momentum and we’ve made it half-fit, but for the last half of the second quarter, once they get it, it’s time to get it back It’s difficult.
“They are really good teams, they are three-time West Virginia champions.
After scoring 19 and 23 in the first and second, the Big Red shot stopped falling as it was held at just 10 and 12 in the third and fourth. Meanwhile, Morgantown scored 18 in both the last two quarters. After filming 46.7% and 50% in the first two quarters, the Big Red shot just 28.6% in third and 31.3% in fourth.
After trimming to margins early in the second half, the Mohegans ran 10-0 in the third quarter, taking their first lead since the opening eight minutes at the Marty Johnson 3-pointer.
The Big Reds scored fourth in the score 52-52, but the Mohegan factions scored their first four points and pulled back forward. Steubenville took the lead again, but Mohegan pulled back forever and in the final minute he cleared up seven of the ten from the foul line to get things done.
Johnson was named the Mohegans game MVP, netting for 21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks.
Marcus Goins hit four threes at Morgantown, finishing on 17 points and four boards. Brady Savage tallied 12 points and 7 rebounds.
The Mohegans finished with a 43-28 advantage in glass.
For the Big Red, Will Taylor finished with a game-high 22 points, collecting four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and steel. IdenDavis netted 14 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Trevon Wiggins finished with 17 points and created a game-high 5-3 with five rebounds. Santino Haney netted nine points, five boards and four assists.
next
Steubenville: Another game will be in front of the OHSAA East District Tournamwnt, closing the regular season with the International Academy of Sports on Monday night at the Crimson Center. Opening tips are set at 5pm for the varsity-only contest.
Morgantown: The regular season continues at West Virginia, hosting Preston on Tuesday night.
