Basketball season at Meridian High has entered the home stretch, and both the boys’ and girls’ teams played host to Manassas Park on a cold Friday night in Falls Church. Meridian’s seniors were recognized before their respective matchups as the ladies tipped off first, and in what quickly had the looks of another dominant effort, they jumped out to a 26-0 lead in the first quarter. The run extended to 37 before the Cougars finally scored a layup late in the second, and at halftime the score was a lopsided 39-3.
The game eventually came to a merciful (for the visitors) end with a final score of 70-7 – coincidentally the same 63-point margin as Meridian’s 76-13 victory in Manassas back on January 17th – as Ellie Friesen scored 14 and Peyton Jones added 12 to lead the way. Then the boys took the court for what figured to be a bit of a more competitive tilt (they won the previous meeting 67-32 a few weeks ago), and Wyatt Trundle, the team’s only senior, was given particularly loud applause from one of the largest home crowds of the season.
Isaac Rosenberg opened the scoring for the Mustangs, who tallied the game’s first ten points before a Manassas Park and-1 play got the visitors on the board. Meridian extended its lead to 18-7 after the first quarter and then scored the second period’s first two buckets to go ahead by 15, and the game was never particularly close from this point forward. The Mustangs held a 33-15 advantage at halftime, then exploded with hot shooting out of the break to lead 54-19 after three, and as the bench was inserted midway through the final frame, they pulled away for a decisive 70-28 victory. Trundle scored 17 to lead all players, while Jarrett Jardine had 11.
Both the boys and girls will be back on the court next Tuesday against Brentsville, the boys at home and the girls on the road.
