After losing in the 2024 Regional Finals, it was nearly two years before the Meridian High School boys’ basketball team had a chance to exact revenge against the Yellow Jackets of James Monroe. They got it on Thursday night, and they were up to the task with a dominant 64-40 victory.

The Meridian boys returned home after a road win on Tuesday against Manassas Park, and this one was set to be a quality non-District showdown. Monroe entered the game 3-9, but against a stiff schedule – this was not a team the Mustangs could overlook.

They didn’t. Meridian scored the first eight points of the game and led 12-2, with Will Davis hitting a pair of early threes to get the Mustangs going. The home team was ahead by ten after a quarter and by twenty at the half, dominating Monroe on the glass and using that advantage to tee off at will from deep.

Monroe briefly went on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 42-26 in the third quarter, but Meridian responded with ten straight to put the game out of reach for good. Jahan Smith got the Mustang bench energized with a late fourth-quarter dunk, and the boys won by 24.

Davis led all scorers with 21 points, scoring at least 18 for the fourth game in a row. Jake Bryan joined him in double figures with 13.

“It was a good performance,” head coach Jim Smith said postgame. “We could’ve shot better, but we created well and we played good defense… anytime you to hold a team to 40 points, you’re probably gonna win.”

With the win, the Mustangs improve to 12-1 as their winning streak extends to nine games. They’ll have a chance to make it ten when they face Fauquier on an immediate turnaround on Friday.