It was opening night for the regional basketball playoffs at Meridian High, and both the boys and the girls earned home games on Friday evening. The girls hosted Skyline while the boys were matched up against Brentsville, and both were heavily favored in their respective contests.

            The girls tipped off first, entering the postseason as the top overall seed in the region with an undefeated record in conference play and only one loss on the year. Maureen Tremblay opened the scoring with a three-pointer and Meridian scored the first ten points of the game, quickly making it known that the contest would continue their trend of blowing out conference opponents. They led 19-6 after a quarter and then scored the first twelve points of the second en route to taking a commanding 41-10 lead into halftime, with the outcome already all but decided. They were able to coast home in the second half to a final score of 59-16, easily advancing to the regional semifinals. Ellie Friesen and Nora Stufft both scored 13 to lead the way, while Elizabeth Creed added ten.

            After a quick break in action, the boys then took to the court as they began their quest for a regional title, albeit without starters Jarrett Jardine and Isaac Rosenberger, who are both done for the season with injuries. Daylen Martino got things going by scoring the game’s first basket, and after Brentsville tied it up, Wyatt Trundle went on a solo 5-0 run to give the Mustangs some cushion. Brentsville kept things close early on, trailing only 11-9 midway through the first quarter, but then Meridian pulled away to take a 24-11 advantage after one. The visitors scored the first five points of the second period, but the Mustangs responded by breaking it open with a 17-0 run, and they led 43-18 at halftime.

            The game was never truly in doubt afterwards, as Meridian’s lead expanded to 59-33 after three quarters and then 78-41 at the final buzzer. Wyatt Trundle’s 20 led all scorers, but it was the contributions of Boston Fitzpatrick and Will Davis, who replaced Jardine and Rosenberger in the lineup, that made the biggest difference as they each had 16. Daylen Martino also got into double figures with 13.

            Both teams will play at home once again in the regional semifinals on Tuesday, though their opponents are still to be determined.