The undefeated boys’ basketball team at Meridian High School returned from winter break on Wednesday, playing host to Manassas Park as they looked to improve to 8-0 on the year. Some good news was in store for Mustang supporters even before the game tipped off, as John Lyman returned to the floor and head coach Jim Smith also stated that he anticipates Grant Greiner, who has been sidelined throughout the entire season thus far, could be in line to play in Meridian’s next game.
The Junior Varsity team set the stage with a 79-17 victory, proving to be a precursor for the dominant performance that the Varsity squad would put on. Daylen Martino and Will Davis got things going with a pair of threes, and Meridian extended its lead to 20-7 after a quarter. Not to leave any room for doubt, the Mustangs then went on a 31-3 run spanning much of the second period – the highlight of which was an ultra-rare slam dunk courtesy of Isaac Rosenberger – and took a commanding 56-12 advantage into halftime.
They ended up cruising home to a 92-22 win, their largest margin of the season and also their highest scoring output. However, there was some concern during the third quarter when Martino, the team’s leading scorer, fell on a drive and hurt his wrist. He was held out for the remainder of the game, but on the bright side, Coach Smith believes the injury is merely a bruise and that the star sophomore point guard shouldn’t miss much, if any further time.
John Alverson tallied 15 points to lead all scorers in a balanced attack for the Mustangs, while Martino (14), Davis and Jarrett Jardine (12 each) also reached double figures. Eleven different players scored at least once for Meridian, which will be back in action at Kettle Run on Friday.
