The Meridian High School boys’ basketball team began postseason play on Saturday afternoon, as the No. 1 seed in the Regional Tournament after going a perfect 23-0 in the regular season. The boys played host to the Goochland Bulldogs, who despite their 10-13 record could not be overlooked as they play in a highly competitive region.

            Goochland drew first blood before Isaac Rosenberger knotted things up at two apiece, and then a Will Davis midrange shot gave Meridian its first lead. John Alverson made a rare three to kickstart a 7-0 run to give the Mustangs an 11-4 lead, and after after four straight Goochland points brought the visitors back withn 19-11, Meridian scored the final seven of the first quarter. That would be the beginning of what extended to 22 straight point for the Mustangs, as this one was all but over midway through the second quarter. By halftime it was 48-15 in favor of the home team, with Rosenberger putting the exclamation point on the rout with a breakaway dunk.

            Meridian continued to stay on the gas in the third, with a flurry of threes extending the Mustang lead to 68-21 with a frame to go, and then the bench unit decided it was eager to make a statement as well, bringing the game to a final score of 80-22. Davis led the way with 18, while Jarrett Jardine added 13 and Rosenberger had 12. Mason Pye came off the bench to get into double figures as well, with 10.

            Now, the Mustangs are set to take on the Skyline Hawks next Tuesday, the third time this season the two teams will have played. Their previous two matchups resulted in a Davis buzzer beater at home and then a gritty overtime win on the road in Meridian’s regular season finale last week. If they can win this one, they’ll punch their ticket to the State Tournament.