Fall sports at Meridian High School are in the books, which only means winter is right around the corner. The new season will be highlighted by the Mustangs’ two highly competitive basketball programs, both of which have seen significant success in recent times. But they’ll both be facing the challenge of replacing crucial production from last year.

For the boys, Jim Smith’s squad had a dream season in 2024-25, winning their first 27 games and taking home the Region 3B title before falling in the State Semifinals. They lost four of five starters from that group, but star sharpshooter Will Davis is back for his senior year, and he’ll be joined in the plug-and-play lineup by Marques Myles, Mason Pye, Jake Bryan, and Jesper Pender. Another year of high-quality hoops should be the expectation, as Meridian should once again compete with Skyline at the top of the Northwestern District.

The girls went 17-6 last winter, which was a rebuilding year after making the State Finals in three of the previous four. They lost top contributors Ellie Friesen and Nora Stufft, but return junior point guard Charlotte Lieu and should see considerable jumps from Bridget Creed and Rose Weatherly. Zoe Gale and Aldyn Friesen are set to round out the starting lineup, while head coach Chris Carrico expects developing depth behind them to step up as well.

Both teams will tip off on Tuesday in a doubleheader at home against Mount Vernon.