High School Football
  •    
  • Class AAA
  • Class AA
  • Class A
LivestreamA Test   Watch |  Listen

Defensive-minded University downs Morgantown in sectional title game

Morgantown’s Kaitlyn Ammons has a shot challenged by University’s Ashten Boggs during the second half of Thursday’s sectional title game.

 

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — With Morgantown High 6-foot-3 junior Kaitlyn Ammons hitting seemingly everything in the first half of Thursday’s game at University, the Hawks needed to elevate their defense over the latter part of the Class AAA Region I, Section 2 final.

UHS senior Ashten Boggs enabled her team to do just that by stepping up to the challenge and helping to limit Ammons’ touches over the final two quarters. Ammons led all players with 23 points, but she accounted for 19 in the first half. Boggs helped hold her in check and limited her to five field goal attempts after halftime as the Hawks yielded a mere seven points in the second half to pull away for a 45-30 win at home.

“We made some adjustments and Ashten took that responsibility on her shoulders,” UHS head coach David Price said. “She did an incredible job that last two quarters. Seven points in the second half is a great defensive job against that team.“

With the Hawks (17-7) leading 22-13 in the second quarter, Ammons went on a personal 8-0 run that included her fourth and five three-pointers of the opening half. Revaya Sweeney then scored off a drive to the basket to send the Mohigans (13-11) into the half with a 23-22 lead.

At the break, Ammons was 7-of-10 from the field with 19 points and six rebounds, while the Mohigans effectively utilized a zone defense to hold UHS to 9-of-26 shooting.

“She’s certainly capable of doing that and that’s why we moved her outside,” MHS head coach Jason White said. “We want to make bigs step out and defend and a lot of them don’t want to do it, so that frees her up.”

But the momentum quickly swung in University’s favor from the outset of the second half.

Mallory Napolillo made two free throws to start the third quarter scoring and put the Hawks back in front. Boggs followed with a three, and UHS was on its way to a 9-0 run that also featured an Abbie Coen jumper and Emily Sharkey’s layup.

“That’s championship basketball,” Price said of the critical run to start the third quarter.

Lindsay Bechtel scored inside for Morgantown’s first points of the second half, but the Hawks’ Lauren Dean countered with five straight points to up her team’s lead to 36-25.

The Hawks took a 40-27 lead into the fourth and the two teams combined for only one field goal over the final quarter — Ammons’ layup that cut the Mohigans’ deficit to 42-29 with 4:20 to play.

“We couldn’t get her the ball on the wing and we tried to put her on the block a couple possessions, but we really struggled getting the ball to her,” White said. “We didn’t pass the ball very well. We had things open, but we couldn’t physically get people the ball. That speaks to the physicality of the game. We tried to make passes without very good space.”

Ammons finished 9-of-15 from the field, but the rest of the Mohigans were 3-for-28.

Napolillo had 11 points and a game-high 17 rebounds to help UHS control the boards, 36-24. Boggs and Dean scored 10 apiece in the win, which allows University to stay home next week for a Region I co-final against the loser of Friday’s game between John Marshall/Wheeling Park.

MHS will head north to face the winner of that contest.

The win marked University’s third in as many games against Morgantown this season and stopped the Mohigans’ win streak at eight games.