On Tuesday, Meridian High School’s girls’ basketball team had an extended possession in the final minute with multiple three-point opportunities while down by three to the Skyline Hawks. On Thursday, it was déjà vu all over again – this time for the boys in a 37-44 defeat to the same opponent in the Region 3B Finals.
“We just ran out of gas,” said assistant coach Bobby Smith. “At the end of the day, they made a few more plays than us.”
Meridian led by three at the half in this hotly contested rivalry matchup, thanks primarily to a massive outing from Mason Pye, who had 12 at the break. But Skyline took the lead early in the third, and the Mustangs struggled to make shots down the stretch. Marques Myles hit a tough bucket to bring the home team within two late in the fourth, and the Hawks went 1-for-2 at the line to give Meridian what proved to be their last gasp.
Just like two nights ago, the rim seemed to have a lid on it when the Mustangs desperately needed the game-tying points. Skyline then tacked on five more on several trips to the free throw line in the closing seconds, and that was that.
“It’s hard to win in high school basketball when you score less than 40 points,” head coach Jim Smith said, echoing his son’s sentiments. The game is the first time in two years that the Mustangs have been held under that benchmark, ever since their loss to Lake Taylor in the 2024 State Quarterfinals.
Still, the season for Meridian has been nothing short of a resounding success. The Mustangs lost four starters from their 27-1 campaign last winter, and went 16-4 during the regular season to earn the top seed in the Regional playoffs.
“I don’t think anyone at the start of the year thought we’d come within one quarter of winning the Regional Finals,” the younger Smith remarked.
Meridian’s season is still not over quite just yet. They’ll be headed to the State Tournament, where their matchup in the opening round is likely to be the Crimson Wave of Petersburg High School. Ty White’s squad is the heavy favorite to win the Class 3 State title, featuring multiple nationally ranked prospects including Oklahoma State commit Latrell Allmond and 2029 No. 1 player King Bacot.
