Cover photo by WV Sports Photography for RSN Sports
By Rich Stevens
Morgantown made it 35 consecutive victories by a No. 1 seed, and in resounding fashion, extending its own winning streak to 25 games with a 63-39 victory over eighth-seeded Hurricane on Wednesday in the Class AAA quarterfinal round of the state boys basketball tournament at the Charleston Civic Center.
The Mohigans (25-0) have held 11 of their opponents to 40 points or fewer this season, averaging 73 points with a winning margin of 28 points.
Hurricane (11-15) was making its fourth consecutive appearance in the state tournament, reaching the semifinals the last two years and the championship in 2014. Morgantown plays in the semifinals for the first time since 2011 when it faces the winner of Thursday’s 11:15 a.m. quarterfinal No. 4 Woodrow Wilson and No. 5 Martinsburg.
“They were killing us on the boards in the first half,” said Morgantown coach Dave Tallman, whose team’s rebounds were almost doubled (17-9) by Hurricane. “We weren’t keeping in front.
“It happened all day, kids get nervous, first game in the state tournament but we got through it. Only four turnovers. In only two games this year we turned the ball over more than 12 times.”
Earlier in the day, Class AA No. 1 Poca slipped past Chapmanville 30-28 and Class AA No. 3 Fairmont Senior held off No. 6 Bluefield 63-50. Top-seeded Class AA team Bridgeport also pulled away from a close game in the second half to beat Ravenswood 50-28.
Morgantown reached the state tournament eight times since it began seeding in 2005. The Mohigans are 3-0 as the higher seed in first round games.
Kenzie Melko had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four dunks for Morgantown, which has won all but one of its games this season by 10 or more points.
Tallman raved about the improvement of 6-foot-7 senior Elvin McNally. He had 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting with three blocked shots.
“Last year he was OK, but this year he’s tough, strong-minded. He’s put it all together,” Tallman said. “I keep waiting for the old Elvin to show up. The old Elvin would tweak an ankle and be out for a month. This year he’s really bought in.”
Hurricane was led by Nick Muto with 11 points and nine rebounds and Braxton Dobert contributed 10 points.
This is the first state tournament victory for Tallman, whose father is a three-time championship coach for Magnolia, winning titles in 2000 and 2003 as a Class AA program, and 2015 as a single-A program. The younger Tallman was a member of the 2000 team that began the postseason with a losing record, but finished 16-11.
