The times is now for the final 10, time to put forth another valiant effort in hopes of achieving conference and class supremacy. The OVAC Basketball Championships begin Saturday at Ohio University Eastern with the 4A title game and continue through the evening.
In 3A and 1A, a new champion will be crowned. The other three classes see returning victors yearning to extend growing championship streaks.
The lineup is thus: 4A at 10 a.m., 5A at noon, 1A at 2 p.m., 2A at 4 and 3A at 6. A single ticket purchase provides fans all-day entry to witness some of the finest basketball the valley has to offer. All games will be broadcast on The Watchdog, 98.1 FM WKKX and 97.7 FM WVLY.
Take the 5A title game. While Morgantown and University aren’t valley teams, per se, they are some of the OVAC’s best and happen to be ranked No. 2 and No. 1, respectively, in the state. This will be a rubber match as the two split earlier games this season. Morgantown, coached by the son of longtime Magnolia coach Dave Tallman, will look to snap the Hawks 3-year win streak in the 5A finals.
Speaking of streaks, the day’s first contest will feature OVAC outgoing member Meadowbrook looking to place it’s stamp on its final conference season with a five-peat. The Colts will face East Liverpool, a former big-school power looking to recapture past glories. Few teams have been as dominant this decade as Wheeling Central, winners of six of the last seven 2A crowns. The only break came in 2018 when the Knights were busy winning the 3A championship. They will face off against Shadyside, a team they’ve beaten twice this season.
If the 3A title game seems familiar, it’s because the exact same schools faced off last weekend in the girls’ 3A game. Union Local is the hottest team in the OVAC, winners of 13 out of its last 14. They face a balanced, talented and unselfish Cadets team that is looking for its first title since 2014. Finally, in 1A, Madonna was the lone road team to win Tuesday, knocking off two-seeded Hundred 63-60. They will face a Frontier team which hasn’t won a conference crown since 2004.
Class AAAAA
No. 2 University vs. No. 1 Morgantown
Monongalia firepower was on full display Tuesday. University torched Wheeling Park 108-69, scoring the most points ever against a Patriots’ team. This came after two competitive games earlier this season.
Bowling Green signee Kaden Matheny finished with 29 points, including 15 in the first quarter as the Hawks built an insurmountable lead early. Park coach Michael Jebbia referred to Matheny as the best point guard he’s seen in West Virginia in 20 years. That’s high praise from the Park and West Liberty all-time great. Matheny wasn’t alone as University placed five players in double figures, including 24 from K.J. McClurg.
While University’s hot shooting put away Park early, across town, the Mohigans’ suffocating man defense was rendering Weir’s offensive output nearly non-existent. Morgantown held the Red Riders to single digits in all four quarters, including a 27-2 score after the first quarter. Alex Rudy’s 17 points led four double-digit scorers. The state’s top-two teams are primed to put on an impressive show at high noon at Ohio University Eastern.
Class AAAA
No. 2 East Liverpool vs. No. 1 Meadowbrook
Prior to Tuesday’s semifinal, East Liverpool suffered a disappointing upset to cross-river rival Oak Glen. The result had Nate Conley’s Potters (14-4) playing with a chip on their shoulder when Martins Ferry came calling Tuesday in the semis. Behind 31 points from Tesean Jackson, Liverpool sent the Riders packing 80-41. This is the second time during Conley’s 10-year stint the Potters have made the finals.
They face a Meadowbrook team that is fresh off a big win against Harrison Central. The Colts took a committee approach in dealing with Huskies’ scoring machine Kobe Mitchell, choosing to focus more on his teammates. So, while Mitchell had 30 points, the rest of his team accounted for 43 in a 70-43 loss. Jonathan McCall and Davis Singleton led Meadowbrook with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Will the Colts take the same approach with Jackson?
Class AAA
No. 2 Fort Frye vs. No. 1 Union Local
This has the potential to be the best game of the day. These two teams that like to play fast with capable shooters, and this game features one of the valley’s top outside sharpshooters in UL’s Luke Merritt.
Merritt had a school-record 79 triples and averages 19.9 points per game. He’s the straw stirring the drink, but his teammates are no slouches. Andrew Martin, Nathan Meyer and Zach Bateman average between 8.5 and 10.2 per game and are capable of catching fire should Merritt draw extra attention.
The Cadets are equally difficult to defend. Their 15-3 record and 58 points per game average are impressive. A more telling stat is despite that number, Fort Frye’s leading scorer, Zane Wallace, scores only 12.8 points per game. Brady Schilling (12.4) and Kelton Fogle (12.1) are close behind. The Cadets distribute the ball well and have multiple ways to hurt an opponent offensively.
Class AA
No. 2 Shadyside vs. No. 1 Wheeling Central
This was the 2A final most were expecting. The road for both teams was far from easy. Both Shadyside’s battle with Southern Local and Wheeling Central’s close call against a game Clay-Battelle outfit provided stern tests in preparation for the finale. Central has won the previous two meetings this season, with 6-5 post Clayton Abate erupting for 19 points and 22 points as the Knights made concentrated effort to attack the paint. It paid off in a 75-58 win.
The Knights have a host of offensive options, including Ryan Reasbeck, J.C. Maxwell, Jalen Creighton and Avery Lee, who caught fire for 32 against the Cee-Bees. Shadyside is led by recently crowned all-time leading scorer Kelly Hendershot’s 18.3 points per game. Korey Beckett provides the deep threat with 57 triples and a 14.3 average while Bryce Amos and Tyler Parr both average 10.9.
Central no doubt will have a different plan of attack, but if anyone can find a scheme to counter, it’s Tigers coach Ed Andes.
Class A
No. 3 Madonna vs. No. 1 Frontier
The top-ranked Cougars haven’t won a title since the early 2000s and the days when Anthony Mossburg was the top athlete in the school. The current version of Frontier basketball is led by Logan Brookover’s 20.6 points per game and the double-double machine that is Kyle Daugherty (14 points and 13 rebound average).
Lucky Pulice led Madonna’s upset of No. 2 Hundred with 18 points as the Blue Dons pulled it off after the lengthy trip into the depths of Wetzel County. Evan Boniti added 15 and Brennan Secrist totaled 14 for Madonna.
