The girls’ basketball team at Meridian High School was in action on Thursday night, playing the first of a pair of home games on back-to-back days. This one was against Manassas Park, and considering the Cougars’ 1-12 record on the year, could be considerd the warmup for Friday’s tilt against Millbrook.
Despite Meridian bringing star sharpshooter Ellie Friesen off the bench with a lighter workload than normal as she recovers from an illness, the Mustangs raced out to an easy 12-0 lead and did not allow a field goal in a 21-2 first quarter. They’d expanded that lead to 24-2 before Manassas Park scored its first points beyond the foul line, and it was 33-6 in favor of the home team at halftime. Head coach Chris Carrico gave his bench more run than usual in the second half, yet the Mustangs continued to pull away to lead 56-7 after three quarters, and then after the Cougars doubled their scoring output in the final frame, Meridian had to settle for a truly nail-biting 69-14 win.
Charlotte Lieu led all scorers (and the entire Manassas Park team combined) with 15 points, while Bridget Creed had 12. All of Nora Stufft’s 11 came in the first period, and Friesen, despite playing limited minutes, ended up with 10. Now, the 12-3 Mustangs will look to avenge their December 19th 48-40 loss to Millbrook, which remains the most recent loss on their schedule as they ride an eight-game winning streak in the time since.