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Mar. 22—CHARLESTON — For the first time in three seasons, there will be a new team to take home the title in Class AAAA boys' basketball as the three-time defending state champions Morgantown fell to George Washington 49-47 Friday evening in the semifinals in Charleston.
MHS trailed George Washington from the 6:04 mark in the first quarter until it took a 45-43 lead with 2:36 to play.
The game was knotted at 47 with 90 seconds to go and remained that way until the Patriots converted a pair of go-ahead free throws with 13.1 seconds left to take a two-point lead. The Mohigans were unsuccessful with their attempt at the buzzer.
Noah Lewis led George Washington with 18 points and seven rebounds. Gale Lamb added 11, and Dominic Sprouse contributed 10.
Max Frey and Waylon Colistra each scored 12 for MHS, with Marty Johnson adding 10 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in his final game as a Mohigan.
"Congratulations to Rick Greene and George Washington, that was a heck of a battle tonight, " MHS head coach Dave Tallman said. "Some things didn't go our way, but at the end of the day, they made one more play than us. I'm super proud of what we've built here and our kids, parents, and community. These kids and these seniors are unbelievable players and even better people, and I love each and every one of them."
As mentioned, Morgantown's only lead until late in the fourth quarter came midway through the first as Johnson banked in a triple to give MHS a 6-4 advantage.
But George Washington found its rhythm and finished the quarter on an 11-4 run to lead 15-10 after the first.
The Mohigans cut the lead to one midway through the second on a layup by Max Frey, but another run by the Patriots sent them to the locker room with a 29-22 lead at the break.
"Anytime you're playing down here, there are limited possessions, so you have to win the rebound battle, you have to win the turnover battle, and we started the game with three straight turnovers, " Tallman said. "Sometimes, in a game like that, one possession can cost you the game. We had seven turnovers at halftime, and that's usually how many we have in an entire game."
Once again, MHS battled back from behind in the third, knotting the game at 34 with a triple by Frey followed by a layup from Colistra.
But a triple by Sprouse and two free throws by Lewis gave the Patriots a 41-36 lead heading into the final frame.
Lewis opened the fourth with a jumper, but Savage answered on the other end for MHS. His layup sparked a 9-0 run that gave the Mohigans their first lead since the opening two minutes of the game when Johnson scored a runner in the lane with 1:50 to play.
Lewis tied the game at 47 with multiple offensive rebounds, resulting in a basket. MHS came up empty on offense and gave George Washington the ball back with 60 seconds on the clock.
Lewis was fouled driving to the basket on the ensuing possession and went to the line, where he knocked down two free throws to make the difference for the Patriots.
MHS got a look at the win on a contested three by Johnson at the buzzer, but his attempt rimmed off.
The Mohigans finish their season in the semifinals with a record of 20-3.
"It's unbelievable what these guys have done in their time here ; we've been blessed, " Tallman said. "We've won a lot of games like that one. I'm just so proud of these guys for what they go through. I couldn't ask anything more of these kids ; they worked their butts off, and my staff worked hard all season. We aren't going to hang our heads because of this loss ; it's more than that. We don't have any regrets or excuses ; today just didn't go our way."
BOX SCORE George Washington 49, Morgantown 47 GWHS 15 14 12 8 — 49 MHS 10 12 14 11 — 47 Morgantown — Frey 5 0-0 12 Colistra 4 3-3 12 Johnson 3 3-3 10 Savage 4 0-0 6 Bandy 1 3-4 5 George Washington — Lewis 6 6-8 18 Lamb 5 0-1 11 Sprouse 4 0-0 10 Brown 3 0-0 6 Martin 2 0-0 4 3pt goals made — Morgantown 4 (Frey 2 Johnson 1 Colistra 1); George Washington 3 (Sprouse 2 Lamb 1).
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MHS trailed George Washington from the 6:04 mark in the first quarter until it took a 45-43 lead with 2:36 to play.
The game was knotted at 47 with 90 seconds to go and remained that way until the Patriots converted a pair of go-ahead free throws with 13.1 seconds left to take a two-point lead. The Mohigans were unsuccessful with their attempt at the buzzer.
Noah Lewis led George Washington with 18 points and seven rebounds. Gale Lamb added 11, and Dominic Sprouse contributed 10.
Max Frey and Waylon Colistra each scored 12 for MHS, with Marty Johnson adding 10 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in his final game as a Mohigan.
"Congratulations to Rick Greene and George Washington, that was a heck of a battle tonight, " MHS head coach Dave Tallman said. "Some things didn't go our way, but at the end of the day, they made one more play than us. I'm super proud of what we've built here and our kids, parents, and community. These kids and these seniors are unbelievable players and even better people, and I love each and every one of them."
As mentioned, Morgantown's only lead until late in the fourth quarter came midway through the first as Johnson banked in a triple to give MHS a 6-4 advantage.
But George Washington found its rhythm and finished the quarter on an 11-4 run to lead 15-10 after the first.
The Mohigans cut the lead to one midway through the second on a layup by Max Frey, but another run by the Patriots sent them to the locker room with a 29-22 lead at the break.
"Anytime you're playing down here, there are limited possessions, so you have to win the rebound battle, you have to win the turnover battle, and we started the game with three straight turnovers, " Tallman said. "Sometimes, in a game like that, one possession can cost you the game. We had seven turnovers at halftime, and that's usually how many we have in an entire game."
Once again, MHS battled back from behind in the third, knotting the game at 34 with a triple by Frey followed by a layup from Colistra.
But a triple by Sprouse and two free throws by Lewis gave the Patriots a 41-36 lead heading into the final frame.
Lewis opened the fourth with a jumper, but Savage answered on the other end for MHS. His layup sparked a 9-0 run that gave the Mohigans their first lead since the opening two minutes of the game when Johnson scored a runner in the lane with 1:50 to play.
Lewis tied the game at 47 with multiple offensive rebounds, resulting in a basket. MHS came up empty on offense and gave George Washington the ball back with 60 seconds on the clock.
Lewis was fouled driving to the basket on the ensuing possession and went to the line, where he knocked down two free throws to make the difference for the Patriots.
MHS got a look at the win on a contested three by Johnson at the buzzer, but his attempt rimmed off.
The Mohigans finish their season in the semifinals with a record of 20-3.
"It's unbelievable what these guys have done in their time here ; we've been blessed, " Tallman said. "We've won a lot of games like that one. I'm just so proud of these guys for what they go through. I couldn't ask anything more of these kids ; they worked their butts off, and my staff worked hard all season. We aren't going to hang our heads because of this loss ; it's more than that. We don't have any regrets or excuses ; today just didn't go our way."
BOX SCORE George Washington 49, Morgantown 47 GWHS 15 14 12 8 — 49 MHS 10 12 14 11 — 47 Morgantown — Frey 5 0-0 12 Colistra 4 3-3 12 Johnson 3 3-3 10 Savage 4 0-0 6 Bandy 1 3-4 5 George Washington — Lewis 6 6-8 18 Lamb 5 0-1 11 Sprouse 4 0-0 10 Brown 3 0-0 6 Martin 2 0-0 4 3pt goals made — Morgantown 4 (Frey 2 Johnson 1 Colistra 1); George Washington 3 (Sprouse 2 Lamb 1).
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