Having already locked up the top seed in the regional playoffs, Meridian High School’s boys’ basketball team was playing simply for pride on Tuesday night – or perhaps as a dress rehearsal for the postseason. Perhaps the most important thing for the Mustangs was that the team was back to full strength, with starters Daylen Martino and Isaac Rosenberger both returning to the lineup against visiting Trinity-Meadow View.

The game started with a bit of a twist, as Martino shot a pair of technical free throws before any time ran off the clock due to a pregame dunking infraction by the visitors. He made one of two, and then scored a layup on Meridian’s opening possession to give the Mustangs a 3-0 lead – and it only grew from there. The home team went ahead 14-4 in the opening three minutes and rocketed out to a 29-8 advantage by the end of the first quarter, using the transition game as a lethal weapon to score virtually at will. The second period brought more of the same, and Will Davis capped it off with the highlight of the night, making a turnaround catch-and-shoot three-pointer just as the clock expired to give the Mustangs a 57-16 lead into the break.

Head coach Jim Smith plugged in his backup unit for the entirety of the second half, and with a running clock for most of the remainder of the contest, Meridian ended up being held to “only” 25 points the rest of the way, winning 82-35. Martino had 12 points to lead the way while Davis added 11, and all fourteen – yes, fourteen – of the Mustangs who saw the floor scored at least once.

Meridian, which completes its regular season at 20-2, now awaits its opponent for Friday’s playoff opener. Both the boys and girls will be at home for the duration of the Regional Tournament.