Meridian High School saw a busy night of basketball action on Friday, with both its girls’ and boys’ squads opening up postseason play by competing in the Regional Quarterfinals. The girls played host to Skyline, while the boys faced Capital District team Armstrong afterwards in front of a packed home crowd.
Ellie Friesen got things going for the girls by scoring the game’s first basket, and this one was never really close. They led 11-2 after a quarter and 24-9 at the half, after Skyline had briefly come back within five. The advantage only expanded in the second half, even with coach Chris Carrico eventually emptying his bench, and the team won easily by a final score of 49-13. Friesen had 19 while Charlotte Lieu added 12, and the girls will play on as they prepare for another home meeting against Culpeper County next Tuesday.
The boys’ game was a bit closer, as their opponent was from a tougher district and faced off against Meridian due to a technicality in the seeding format. Armstrong scored the game’s first points before Jarrett Jardine got the Mustangs on the board, and then after the game was tied at four apiece, Meridian went on an 8-0 run. The home team had its way early on, finding plenty of easy buckets on the break as they overcame Armstrong’s overaggressive press, and after their 17-6 lead was cut to 22-14, another big run gave the Mustangs some breathing room as they’d doubled up their opponent late in the first half. They’d take a 37-23 lead into the intermission, and then after scoring the first six points of the third quarter, it seemed like this one was a done deal.
However, Armstrong made some adjustments and successfully slowed down the game’s pace, forcing the Mustangs out of rhythm and baiting them into some foul trouble. They cut the deficit to 47-35 after the third quarter and then got back within single digits in the fourth, closing to within 50-45 late in the going. Then after five straight Meridian points were capped off by a Grant Greiner layup with just over a minute to go, the visitors forced a few turnovers and got back within four, but that was as close as they would come. The Mustangs were able to breathe a sigh of relief after John Lyman sank some late free throws, sending them to the Regional Semifinals with a 58-51 victory.
“We made it harder on ourselves than we needed to,” head coach Jim Smith admitted after the game. “But at the end of the day, it’s just survive and advance.”
Lyman and Jardine each had 12 points to lead the Mustangs, while Daylen Martino and Will Davis chipped in with 10. They now await Kettle Run next Tuesday, with a chance to lock up their spot in the State Tournament with a win.
