The Meridian High School girls’ Junior Varsity basketball team began its 2025-26 season with a 39-28 loss at Kettle Run back in early December. Two and a half months later, they beat that same team 27-21 to capture the Northwestern District championship.
As an intriguing warmup act to the Varsity playoffs set to begin on Friday night, both the boys and girls at Meridian competed for the JV District title, a one-game winner-take-all for the top two teams in the region. They each hosted the Cougars of Kettle Run, with the girls tipping off just past 6:00 and the boys at 7:30.
The girls, coached by Svetlana Pankratova, brought a 12-3 record into the night with only one loss in District play, that being the aforementioned defeat against Kettle Run. This time around, they were up to the challenge. After being tied 11-11 at halftime, the Mustangs took a 16-14 lead with a quarter to go and then extended their advantage to six in the final frame.
For Pankratova, there was plenty to reflect on from a season that had its ups and downs, but steadily improved as it went along. “We worked really hard,” she emphasized. “We have a lot of eight graders so we’ve learned a lot… we were able to develop throughout the year in how to play as a team.”
The boys played next, but their matchup did not go as smoothly. They fell behind 7-20 in the first quarter and then trailed by as much as 25. Gabe Ibrahim’s group was able to mount a frantic comeback late in the fourth to close within single digits, but ran out of time in a 61-70 loss.
The girls complete their season at 13-3, while the boys finish 17-2 with both defeats coming to Kettle Run. Congratulations are in order for both of them on their successful campaigns.
Next up, it’s Varsity’s turn. On Friday night, Meridian’s girls will host Fauquier and then the boys will face Maggie Walker.