Monthly archive

February 2023

CLIFTON POWER OUTAGE

1 year ago in Powerlifting

Led by Kettler, Clifton Lady Cubs sending 17 lifters to THSWPA’s Region 2 Championships; Finney sets meet records in Bosqueville to headline Clifton boys contingent fighting to qualify for regionals

After a strong showing at the highly-competitive West Invitational last Saturday, the Clifton boys and girls powerlifting teams appear poised to be well-represented at the regional level. Competing with Class 4A, 3A and 2A lifters, silver medalist Kambrie Kettler led the Lady Cubs to a seventh-place team finish, while gold medalist Riley Finney and silver medalist Levi Knox led the Clifton boys to a seventh place team finish as well.

“The kids competed very well against some of the top lifters in the state,” Clifton powerlifting head coach James Humphreys said. “It was a great meet to prepare for regional competition. Everybody lifted well and was able to achieve a new PR. We’re excited for the boys and girls regional meets.”

With the Lady Cubs competing in the Small Class 3A Division, the THSWPA Region 2 Championships will be held Saturday, March 4 at Dublin High School. The Clifton boys will complete in the THSPA Region 2, Division 3 Boys Championships held March 11 in West.

Locking down regional qualifying spots Monday, the Lady Cubs will be sending 17 lifters, including Sydney Cecil (fourth in 105-pound class), Alyssa Santillan (third in 114-pound class), Cameron Ritz (second in 123-pound class), Kambrie Kettler (first in 132-pound class), Alexa Lane (sixth in 132-pound class), Kate Humphreys (third in 148-pound class), Lexi Montes (fourth in 148-pound class), Piper Bennette (seventh in 148-pound class), Addison Martin (11th in 148-pound class), Kaitlyn Baker (third in 165-pound class), Ellie King (sixth in 165-pound class), Morgan Pogue (10th in 165-pound class), Lenora Busby (third in 181-pound class), Nylah Goff (ninth in 181-pound class), Sophie Johnson (12th in 181-pound class), Taryn Busby (third in 220-pound class), and Bailey McMillan (10th in 220-pound class).

With one week remaining to qualify in the boys division, Cubs in position to advance to the regional meet include Judd New (sixth in 123-pound class), Xavier Quintero (11th in 123-pound class), Levi Knox (sixth in 181-pound class), and Riley Finney (first in 198-pound class).

At the West meet Saturday, Kettler equaled her season-best with a total of 740 pounds, while Finney post a new season’s best with 1,585 pounds, while Levi Knox posted a new personal record with 1,225 total pounds.

With its full contingent of powerlifters from Bosqueville and Meridian competing in the Clifton Tri-Meet Feb. 11, Kettler produced her best day of the season with a total weight of 740 pounds in the three disciplines – squat, bench press dead lift – in the 132-pound weight class, while Riley Finney led the Clifton boys with a total of 1,500 total pounds in the 198-pound class.

“I’m very proud of the boys and girls teams,” Humphreys said. “Every Clifton lifter was able to compete and did a great job. I’m looking forward to these kids competing at the Regional Meet.  They are an exciting, hard working group of athletes.”

With 21 Clifton girls and 14 boys competing last Saturday, both the Lady Cubs and the Cubs won the team titles at the tri-meet with Meridian taking second in the Girls Division while Bosqueville finished as runner-up in the Boys Division.

“Overall, they are a very hard-working discipline group of young men and women,” Humphreys said. “With no seniors, the boys team this year is very young. But there are some really good up and coming talent on the boys team.  Anytime you want to find these boys, just look in the weight room, they will be there lifting. They love lifting. On the other hand, the girls teams returns several regional qualifiers. They have a lot of talent and are hard working ladies that love to lift.”

For the Clifton boys in the tri-meet Saturday, New won the 123-pound class with 785 total pounds, while Xavier Quintero placed third with 685; Jared Ramirez won the 132-pound class with 735 total pounds, followed by second place Zach Lindsey with 735; Landon Knox placed second in the 148-pound class with 930; Levi Knox won the 181-pound class with 1,190; Hector Quintero won the 220-pound class with 1,125; and Sabian Simon won the 242-pound class with 825. 

Opening the 2023 Texas high school powerlifting season with an impressive start at the Bosqueville Invitational Jan. 14, Finney won the gold medal in the 198-pound division by setting a new meet record in bench press with 420 pounds before establishing a new meet mark for total weight with 1,455 pounds in the three events — squat, bench press and dead lift. Finney repeated his gold medal performance Jan. 28 in Meridian with a total of 1,485 pounds,

With a loaded team of veteran lifters, the Lady Cubs placed third at the Bosqueville Invitation before capturing the team championship at the Yellowjacket Invitational. 

But lifting weight is not just about powerlifting season. Success in the powerlifting program often translates into success in other sports as well.

“It helps improve strength, athletic ability in each individual athlete,” Humphreys said.  “It also helps with athletes’ confidence.  Once they see results and know they just set a personal record, their determination grows rapidly.  They want more and start setting goals to achieve more PRs.  It’s a very positive sport that shows results with hard work.”

In addition to Finney’s record setting performance in Bosqueville, New took third at Bosqueville in the 114-pound class with 705 total weight, followed by second place in Meridian with 760; Knox claimed the 181-pound silver medal in Bosqueville with 1100 total pounds, before placing third in Meridian with 1145; and Hector Quintero took third place in the 220-pound class at Bosqueville with a total weight of 1075 in Bosqueville before capturing the silver medal in Meridian with 1110.

Dario Colon-Cruz and Xavier Quintero practically matched each other in the 123-pound class in both meets with Colon-Cruz taking third place in Bosqueville with 595 pounds before Quintero captured the bronze medal with 645 in Meridian

For the Lady Cubs, Kettler won her weight class (132-pound division) in both meets, totaling 685 pounds in Bosqueville before putting up 735 in Meridian; Busby claimed the silver medal in Bosqueville for the 181-pound class with 745 total pounds before winning the gold in Meridian with 770 pounds; Santillan took second place in the 114-pound class at both meets, putting up 575 total pounds in Bosqueville before improving to 610 in Meridian; and Baker took third place in the 165-pound class with 650 total pounds before capturing second place in Meridian with a total of 670.

“We want to continue improving each week and showing progress,” Humphreys said. “I’m very proud of the hard work these kids have been putting forward. They love the sport, and it shows.  I love seeing a smile on their face when they PR.  That is hard work coming through the smile. Every meet has been important. And to them, it was just another opportunity to get their total up in the standings.”

Photos by WENDY OROZCO

©2023 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT

1 year ago in Boys Basketball

Rebuilding momentum coming off shocking loss to surging Blum, Meridian Yellowjackets celebrate first district title in 20 years with win over Morgan in regular season finale; face Bluff Dale in Bi-District playoff

For the first time since the 2002-03 Texas high school boys basketball season, the Meridian Yellowjackets captured a district championship. But in the final week of the regular season, things became tougher than expected.

After running through the District 20-1A schedule with 10 straight victories to clinch their first title in 20 years, the Jackets hit a speed bump when the surging Blum Bobcats shocked Meridian, 66-63, Feb. 10 to spoil its perfect season. But the Jackets responded to rebuild some momentum heading into the postseason with a dramatic 60-56 overtime win over the Morgan Eagles to wrap up the regular season at home in Yellowjacket Gymnasium.

“It was a great way to end the season,” Meridian boys basketball first-year head coach Grant Schur said. “I might could have done without the stress the Morgan game gave me, but I think it was good for us going forward. You need to play games like that. And even better is winning close games. I am extremely proud of our guys – to be down four with eight seconds left, and tie it up with three seconds left in regulation – that shows some resilience from our guys.”

Entering the Class 1A postseason tournament as the district’s top seed, the Jackets (11-1 in district, 20-9 overall) will face the Bluff Dale Bobcats (16-10) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Dublin High School. In District 19-1A, Bluff Dale finished behind the 11th-ranked Huckabay Indians (26-6), the 23rd-ranked Gordon Longhorns (22-9) and the 25th-ranked Lingleville Cardinals (17-11).

“I think Bluff Dale provides us with some good matchups, and then some really tough matchups,” Schur said. “They are a very solid team, coming out of a really tough district that they competed well in. Behind Huckabay, the next three teams out of that district were all neck-and-neck, so I would expect a good game with them Tuesday.”

As the fourth-place team in District 19-1A, the Bobcats will be led by six-foot, six-inch senior Robby Barton along with seniors Adrian Saucedo and DJ Wood.

“They have a big guy inside, and we’ve seen some height like that this year,” Schur said. “In some games, it hasn’t given us any issues. And in others, it has given us a problem. We’ll work hard this week on minimizing his impact on the game.”

Putting on a dominating performance, the Jackets sank the Iredell Dragons, 67-35, Feb. 7 to clinch the District 20-1A title, their first championship since the 2002-03 season. The Jackets jumped out to a commanding early lead and never looked back against Iredell (3-9, 7-18).

“This was a huge win for us, this win secures the outright district championship for us with two games remaining,” Schur said after the game. “Being district champs was a goal we had set, so it is nice to already have that achieved. I have talked in the past about the maturity of this group, and this just speaks to it. We really came out and played really well from the start. Defensively, I thought we looked better than we did in our last game. And offensively, we did a better job of moving the ball and moving without the ball.”

With eight different Jackets scoring points, senior Camron Sheffer led Meridian with a game-high 20 points, 10 rebounds, eight steals and five blocks, followed by senior John Bernal with 13 points, nine rebounds, three assists and five steals, along with sophomore Jordon Sheffer with 10 points.

Sophomore Matty Jones added seven points, senior Braxton Allen scored six points and pulled down five rebounds, senior Brady Taylor tossed in six points and grabbed four steals, while senior Junior Rodriguez came up with five steals.

“We still have plenty of things we want to work on and get better at, but I feel like we are trending in the right direction heading into the playoffs. We need to finish these last two games the right way and make sure we are mentally and physically prepared for the playoffs. I think the thing I like the most about it is that our kids don’t want to celebrate it yet. Winning district is great, but they want to go 12-0 through district play.”

But the Blum Bobcats had something to say about that. The Bobcats shocked Meridian by starting fast to build a commanding 30-15 lead in the first quarter. Despite steadily battling back over the next three periods, the deficit proved to be too much to overcome for Meridian. And coming off the disappointing loss, the Jackets desperately needed to rebuild their momentum going into the postseason.

“It definitely didn’t go the way we wanted it to go,” Schur said. “But like I told the kids last night, we can either use it to refocus us and build from it, or we will let it hang over us and none of us want that. There were things that didn’t go our way, or the way we thought it should have. But at the end of the day, Blum got the job done and we didn’t.”

Jordan Sheffer led Meridian with 16 points and five assists against Blum, followed by Camron Sheffer with 13 points and eight blocks, Allen with 12 points and 10 rebounds, as well as Bernal with 10 points and seven steals while Taylor pulled down eight rebounds.

“For sure, some things I wish I had done differently, and I know there are things the kids wished they had done differently,” Schur said. “The big question for us is how are we going to respond to it. We haven’t had to face adversity in quite a while now. Personally, I think this could end up being a really good thing for us if we respond correctly. The Morgan game is going to be big for us. That will really let us know how we are responding to the loss, and then regaining some momentum going into the playoffs.”

Rising to the occasion, the Jacket did just that against Morgan last Tuesday night, but it wasn’t easy. Playing in what proved to be a postseason atmosphere between two teams headed to the playoffs, Meridian hung onto a one-point lead at halftime. In a defensively dominated third period, the Eagles managed to take a two-point lead into the final frame, but the Jackets rallied in the fourth before escaping with the overtime victory.

“It was a big win for us, and hopefully helped to get the Blum loss off us a little bit,” Schur said. “It’s also good to have gotten the experience of playing in overtime. I do think it is nice to have finally gotten to celebrate the district championship and get that weight off our shoulders as well. Now, we can just focus on the playoffs and moving forward.”

With three players scoring in double figures, Bernal led the Jackets with 15 points, 10 rebounds and six steals, followed by Camron Sheffer with 14 points, 20 rebounds and seven blocks, as well Jones with 13 points and four steals. Jordon Sheffer added nine points, Taylor pulled down eight rebounds, dished out four assists and grabbed four steals, while Braxton had seven rebounds and Junior Rodriguez five steals.

“It was a great atmosphere,” Schur said. “Hats off to Morgan and Coach (Chris) Gannaway – they played a heck of a game. They have a lot to be proud of in that game. Those kids over there in Morgan play hard and get after it.

“I think our side of the stands were almost completely full. So to win a game like that – with a crowd like that – it is big for our guys. We really appreciate all the support we have gotten from the community. It has been amazing all season long.”

Despite playing in a game postponed four days due to the icy winter weather event across North and Central Texas, Meridian posted an overwhelming 76-28 home victory over the Kopperl Eagles Feb. 4.

“Due to the weather, we didn’t get to do anything again until Friday,” Schur said. “So, it really felt like the five-day dead period over Christmas Break between playing Covington the previous Friday and us practicing Friday before playing the makeup game against Kopperl.

“When we jumped out 19-2 in the first quarter, that really eased my mind on things. You never know how kids will react to things like that. Coming off a huge win against Covington and playing on a Saturday, the recipe was there for a letdown. The kids did a great job of staying focused and playing really well.”

Against Kopperl (0-12, 3-23), Jordan Sheffer led the Jackets with 16 points along with four assists and four steals, followed by Bernal with 13 points, five assists and six steals, and Camron Sheffer with 12 points, a team-high six blocks, four assists and five steals. Junior Rodriguez grabbed a team-high seven steals and five rebounds, while sophomore Alex Rodriguez pulled down five boards.

“Those guys at Kopperl are doing a great job,” Schur said. “I said after we played them the first time they would keep getting better, and they have definitely done that. They play really hard, and they are getting better and better every game. We need to stay focused and continue to get better getting ready for the playoffs.”

While the Jackets take on Bluff Dale in a Bi-District playoff matchup, other District 20-1A postseason representatives will be second place Covington (9-3, 21-9) battling Lingleville, and third place Blum (7-5, 9-8) taking on Gordon Monday night, while fourth place Morgan (6-6, 14-8) faces Huckabay Tuesday night.

“I think if we can limit our mistakes, work the offense better than we have the last couple games, and kind of get back to playing like we would like to, I feel good about our matchup with Bluff Dale,” Schur said. “That is the fun part of this time of year – anything can happen, and you have to be your best every game.”

Photos by WENDY OROZCO & SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS

©2023 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

WILD ROLLERCOASTER RIDE

1 year ago in Girls Basketball

After rebounding in District 20-1A playoff for second place, Meridian Lady Jackets eliminated by 11th-ranked Gordon in Bi-District playoff matchup

After putting the finishing touches on an impressive run through the District 20-1A schedule that earned a trip to the postseason tournament, the Meridian Lady Jackets saw their Cinderella season come to an end. Facing Class 1A’s 11th-ranked Gordon in a Bi-District playoff game, the Lady Jackets met their match as the Lady Longhorns stampeded to a convincing 38-13 victory Monday night in Dublin.

“I was very proud of the heart and effort our girls demonstrated in our playoff game against the No. 11 team in the state,” Meridian girls basketball head coach Matthew Butler said. “With only two minutes in the first quarter left, we had the lead in a playoff game against a much more experienced and seasoned team.”

Facing District 19-1A’s runner-up and fifth-ranked Gorman (31-3) Monday night in Hamilton, third place the Iredell Lady Dragons fell to the Lady Panthers, 64-21, and the fourth place Walnut Springs Lady Hornets lost to District 19-1A champion and top-ranked Huckabay (35-2), 67-19, while District 20-1A champion Blum edged Lingleville, 40-38. In the Area Playoff round, the Lady Bobcats were eliminated by Rochelle, 58-54, Friday night.

Against Gordon Monday night, the Lady Jackets battled in the first period, trailing by only four. But the Lady Longhorns outscored Meridian, 13-2, in the second quarter to take a commanding 23-8 advantage into intermission before shutting down the Lady Jacket offense in the second half. Sophomore Mariana Paniagua led Meridian with four points followed by sophomore Journey Stauffer with three.

“Gordon is a straight basketball school and that was evident as the flow of the game developed with their overall skill and chemistry,” Butler said. “They were able to stifle our offense with a very effective matchup zone/man defense. Unfortunately, we were not able to make shots or free throws at a percentage that would allow us to keep pace. However, I love the resiliency and effort our girls gave to the very end.”

Despite losing the regular season finale in Iredell last Tuesday, the Lady Jackets rebounded in the District 20-1A second place playoff game by dominating the Lady Dragons, 35-24, in the rubber match between the two programs last Friday night in Morgan.

“It was a really hard-fought game,” Meridian girls basketball head coach Matthew Butler said. “Iredell has a really good team with a lot of seniors. The played really good defense, we knew it would be a battle and it was a battle for all four quarters. But fortunately, we were able to come out on top.”

In fact, the Lady Jackets (10-3 in district, 13-18 overall) jumped out to a commanding 12-2 first quarter advantage before the Lady Dragons (9-4, 16-5) shut out Meridian in the second period to battled back into the game. But the Lady Jackets took control of the contest by outscoring Iredell, 12-4, in the third period and hung on in the fourth for the win. Junior Canyon Stauffer sank two three-pointers and led the Lady Jackets with 12 points, followed by junior Eve Dirkse with 10 points.

In the regular season finale head-to-head showdown for the district’s runner-up spot that turned into a low-scoring, defensively struggle, the Lady Jackets never found their rhythm offensively as Iredell walked away with a well-earned 29-22 victory Feb. 7. Consequently, before heading to the Class 1A state playoffs, Meridian and Iredell were forced to faceoff in a tiebreaker playoff last Friday in Morgan to determine who will enter the postseason as the district’s second and third seed.

Trailing by a mere three points at halftime, Meridian only managed to sink two field goals in the second half, hitting on only nine of 42 total shots from the field and struggling to make one of eight from the line to lose the game.

Canyon Stauffer led the Lady Jackets with nine points, two assists and four steals, followed by Journey Stauffer with eight points and two steals, while Dirkse led Meridian on the boards with six rebounds.

“Both teams played very hard defensively,” Butler said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to make open shots against their zone while struggling with free throws. I love our kids’ resiliency and competitive spirit.”

Thanks to the icy winter weather event across North and Central Texas last week, the Lady Jackets were forced to postpone Senior Night from Jan. 31 until Feb. 4. But for the Lady Jackets and their fans alike, it proved worth the wait.

Winning for the fourth straight time, the Lady Jackets crushed the Kopperl Lady Eagles, 67-14, to move one step closer to locking down the runner-up spot in District 20-1A behind champion Blum (12-0, 16-4). On the postponed Senior Night, Meridian finally had the opportunity to show its appreciation for three seniors – Erika Maldonado, Summer Chen, Abby Edwards.

“The Kopperl game was Senior Night, so our seniors started the game for us and played hard,” Butler said. “Our girls were able to shoot the ball pretty well, making five three-point shots, which was a season high. And we were able to stifle Kopperl with different defenses. Everyone was able to contribute in this final home game of the season.

“We are all very proud of our seniors. They have each shown unbelievable character, toughness, trust and resiliency in hanging in there and staying with basketball for four tough years. Certainly, basketball teaches many life lessons that will be great tools for them to use as they build their lives. Each of them are very special young ladies with their own unique qualities and abilities, and I have no doubt each of them will be very successful in the next phase of their lives. I hope they will remember these four years with fondness and great memories.”

Jumping out to a dominating 20-5 first quarter lead over Kopperl (0-12, 0-21), the Lady Jackets built an overwhelming 40-6 advantage by halftime and never looked back. Canyon Stauffer scored a season-high 28 points, hitting 13 of 17 shots from the field, while senior Erika Maldonado tossed in 14 points by sinking three from three-point range, followed by Journey Stauffer with 11 points.

“I am very proud of the accomplishment of this very young team achieving district runner-up and competing hard against one of the best girls teams in the state,” said Butler following the playoff loss. “With our junior high winning the district championship and this young varsity team, the future is very bright for Lady Jacket basketball.”

Photos by WENDY OROZCO

©2023 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

STRENGTHEN TO SUCCESS

1 year ago in Powerlifting

Vying to qualify for regionals, Meridian boys & girls powerlifters compete at Clifton Tri-Meet after opening season by hosting Yellowjacket Invitational

After opening the 2023 Texas high school powerlifting season with a strong showing at their own Yellowjacket Invitational Jan. 28, Meridian boys and girls powerlifters moved themselves into position to capture berths to the regional championships at the Clifton Tri-Meet last Saturday.

For the second straight week, senior Dustan Bowers won the gold medal in the 165-pound weight class by compiling a total of 1,180 pounds in the three disciplines – squat, bench press and dead lift. And in the process, Bowers moved into second place overall in Texas High School Powerlifting Association Division 4, Region 2 rankings.

“We had several athletes compete at a high level on Saturday, which has set them up to possibly qualify for regionals this weekend,” Meridian powerlifting head coach Jim Kerbow said. “Once again, we had the majority of our lifters set personal bests, which speaks to their efforts in the weightroom.”

The Meridian boys and girls will compete in the Axtell Invitational this Saturday at the Waco Underground Performance Gym in hopes of locking down spots at the regional championships. Athletes must be ranked in the top 12 of their weight class to qualify for regional. The THSWPA Region 2 Championships for the girls will be held Feb. 25 at Bosqueville, while the THSPA Region 2 Boys Championships will be held March 11 in West.

In addition to Bowers, Meridian lifters currently ranked in the region’s top 20 include Austin Pogue (165-pound class) in ninth, Brayden Wehmeyer (148-pound class) in 14th, and Cesar Ramos (114-pound class) in 14th while Lady Jackets lifters include Aletheia Sandley (198-pouind class) in third, Abby Edwards (198-pound class) in fifth, Raechel Ramirez (165-pound class) in eighth and Summer Chen (132-pound class) in 19th.

“Our goal every week is to increase our totals,” Kerbow said. “We have a great group of young men and women competing this year in powerlifting. Our ultimate goal is to be in the top 12 in our weight classes to reach the regional powerlifting meets.”

For the Meridian boys at the Clifton Tri-Meet, Pogue took third place in the 165-pound class with 1,025 pounds, Gauge Chandler captured the silver medal in the 181-pound class with 865 pounds, Wehmeyer placed third in the 148-pound class with 900 pounds, and Dustin Padgett finished in seventh place in the 148-pound class with 760 pounds.

The Lady Jackets placed second as a team in the Clifton Tri-Meet, led by Sandley topping the 198-pound weight class with 790 pounds, Abby Edwards took the silver medal behind her teammate, while Chen placed second in the 132-pound class with 520 pounds, Cortney Lunsford finished in fourth place with 470 pounds, Dyna Potter came in fifth place with 395 pounds and Taylor Rusk placed sixth with 380 pounds. In the 148-pound class, Catherine Lunsford finished in sixth place with 540 pounds

As the saying goes, there’s no place like home. And the old adage proved true for the Meridian boys and girls powerlifting teams as they opened their seasons by hosting the Yellowjacket Invitational Jan. 28.

With 10 teams in the Girls Division and nine more in the Boys Division accounting for 175 total lifters, the Meridian boys claimed three medals while placing fifth as a team, while the Lady Jackets collected three medals and finished sixth as a team.

In a field comprised of mostly larger schools, Maypearl captured the team championship in the Boys Division, followed by runner-up Axtell, Whitney and Clifton, while Clifton won the Girls Division team title ahead of runner-up Maypearl and Whitney.

“The competition was great,” Kerbow said. “There were only Division 3 and Division 4 teams in attendance, which are the divisions we compete in. So, it gave our kids the opportunity to compete with lifters in our region. I feel that our lifters competed very well. We had several athletes medal and many set personal bests.”

Leading the contingent of Meridian boys, Bowers captured the gold medal in the 165-pound class with a total weight of 1,185 pounds in the three events – squat, bench press and deadlift. Damien Woleben claimed the silver medal in the 308-pound class with a total weight of 915 pounds, while Ramos won the bronze medal in the 114-pound class with a total weight of 460 pounds.

For the Lady Jackets, Sandley claimed the gold medal in the 198-pound class with a total weight of 745 pounds, followed by Edwards in third place with a total weight of 600 pounds, and Ramirez took the bronze medal in the 165-pound class with a total weight of 650 pounds.

“We have a great group of young men and women competing this year in powerlifting,”Kerbow said. “We currently have 10 boys and 10 girls that show up every morning at 6:45 a.m. to improve themselves. Both groups have the potential to advance several to the regional meet and a couple have a legitimate chance to qualify for state. 

“Powerlifting is beneficial to smaller programs for many reasons. Mainly, it encourages our athletes to increase their strength which in turn improves our other sports. Another reason it is important is that it gives our student athletes another opportunity to compete in the winter.”

Photos by WENDY OROZCO

©2023 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

DOWN TO THE WIRE

1 year ago in Boys Basketball

Hosting Grandview for do-or-die showdown to earn a postseason berth in the District 17-3A finale, the Clifton boys basketball team comes up short in the fourth quarter

Good to the last game, the young Clifton Cub boys basketball team went into their District 17-3A finale with everything on the line. Still alive in the chase for a playoff berth, the Cubs faced a must-win matchup by hosting Grandview needing a win to force a district playoff game for fourth place and the final postseason spot.

Despite going into the fourth quarter leading by a point, the inexperienced Cubs could not finish the job as Grandview rallied to come from behind and escape with a 65-56 victory last Tuesday night in the Clifton High School gymnasium.

“We were right where we wanted to be going into the final period,” Clifton boys basketball head coach Tom Daniel said. “But Grandview came out and took it away from us. We’ve been talking about how close this district was going to be all season long. I was convinced it would come right down to the last game – the last day of the season. As it turned out, it came down to the last quarter in the last game. It can’t get much more exciting than that.”

Junior Andres Devora produced a double-double to lead the Cubs with 18 points and dishing out 10 assists, followed by sophomore Joaquin De la Hoya with 15 points as well as junior Jacob Wells with 13 points and five assists. Senior Jadyn Simmons and sophomore Brody Baggett led Clifton with five rebounds each, while senior Makail Brandenberger dished out three assists and came up with a team-high three steals.

With the win eliminating the Cubs (5-7 in district, 11-17 overall), Grandview (7-5, 20-13) locked down the fourth place and final playoff berth coming out of District 17-3A behind district champion Whitney (10-2, 21-11), while Maypearl (9-3, 21-12) and Keene (3-3, 25-8) wrapped up the regular season tied, forcing a second-place playoff game at 7 p.m. Friday at Waxahachie Life High School.

Although last Friday’s game at Keene wasn’t a must-win situation, Clifton could have secured at least a tie for fourth place with a win over Chargers. But Keene came out with a hot hand by sinking a flurry of three-pointers to jump out to a commanding 23-8 lead in the first quarter on the way to a convincing 62-26 victory. Sophomore Ray Ochoa led the Cubs with five points, followed by Brandenberger and Baggett with four points and six rebounds each.

But prior to the road loss at Keene, Clifton won back-to-back games to move back into postseason contention. Clifton dominated Harmony School of Innovation, 54-12, jumping out to a commanding 17-3 first quarter lead and never looking back.

With 12 different Clifton players scoring points, De la Hoya led the Cubs with eight points, followed by sophomore Maddox Hinojosa with seven points and five rebounds while sophomore Kyle Rogers tossed in seven points. Junior Riley Davis led Clifton on the boards with eight rebounds while sophomore Jonah Payne dished out four assists and Devora came up with four steals.

“It was good for us,” Daniel said. “Some guys that don’t get to play much for us played most of the game and we brought a few JV kids up to get a little bit of varsity experience. It was a fun game.”

As predicted, the battle for postseason berths in District 17-3A came down to the final night of the regular season. And headed down the home stretch, the Cubs remained right in the middle of it. Hoping to snap a three-game losing streak and climb back into contention, the Cubs won a do-or-die showdown against the West Trojans, 54-49, on Feb. 2 at the Clifton High School gymnasium, a crucial postponed matchup moved from Jan. 31 due to the icy winter weather event across North and Central Texas.

“The boys really stepped up for a big game,” Daniel said. “It was interesting circumstances for both teams being off for a few days because of all of the ice. So, the beginning of the game was not pretty, but I thought our guys settled in well. After being down by a point at halftime, we came out in the second half and really controlled the third quarter, and we were able to hold our lead. It was a really big win for us.”

Trailing by one at halftime, the Cubs outscored West, 20-14, in the third period before battling in the fourth to hang on for the crucial win. Devora produced team-highs in scoring with 14 points and rebounding with seven boards while dishing out four assists and coming up with two blocks.

Baggett added eight points, followed by Wells with six points, four assists and four steals, and De la Hoya with six points and four assists. Payne contributed seven points, while Ochoa grabbed a team-high seven steals against the Trojans.

Facing the top two teams in the district the previous week, the Cubs dropped a decisive 61-44 decision at home against the second place Maypearl Panthers Jan. 24 before battling to a disappointing 60-55 loss to the arch-rival and league-leading Whitney Wildcats on the road Jan. 27.

Opening the second round of district, Maypearl jumped out to a commanding 24-8 lead in the first quarter and never looked back as the Cubs trailed 36-22 at halftime. After the Panthers extended their advantage to 20 points in the third period, Clifton rallied in the fourth, but it proved too little, too late.

Devora and Ochoa led the Cubs with 10 points apiece, followed by Wells with seven, as well as Baggett and Payne with five each.

Falling behind early at Whitney last Friday night, the Cubs battled the entire game to stay close but trailing by eight after three quarters of play. Even though Clifton outscored Whitney, 19-16, in the final period, the Cub rally fell short. Sinking six three-point shots, Wells led Clifton with a game-high 24 points, followed by Devora with 11, Ochoa with eight and Baggett with six.

Using an impressive defensive display, the Cubs surprised Keene, 31-26, the first time the two teams met in district Jan. 17 to create a four-team tie for second place. But on the road three nights later, Clifton struggled from the opening tipoff in a 79-44 loss against the Grandview Zebras to wrap up the first round of district.

Against Keene, the Cubs held onto a one-point lead at halftime and fell back into a deadlock at the end of the third period before outscoring the Chargers, 8-3, down the stretch in the fourth to pull out the crucial victory. Clifton used 18 steals to slow down Keene’s ability to score, limiting the number of shots they put up.

“There wasn’t a lot of scoring in the game,” Daniel said. “It was Keene’s lowest scoring game of the season. It happened to be ours too, but luckily, we had a few more than they did.”

Baggett led Clifton with 10 points, seven rebounds and seven steals, followed by Devora with nine points, a team-high nine rebounds, four assists and four steals. De la Hoya also pulled down nine rebounds while dishing out four assists, and Ochoa collected five steals.

“We turned the ball over too much, and didn’t shoot the ball great,” Daniel said. “But we made up for it with great effort on the defensive end. Without a doubt, it was out best defensive game of the season. In the second half, we only gave up eight points against a pretty good team.”

Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS

©2023 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE

1 year ago in Girls Basketball

Clifton girls basketball dominates Harmony School of Innovation on the road in Waco as Lady Cubs close out season with big District 17-3A win

Despite being already eliminated from postseason contention, the Clifton Lady Cubs girls basketball team made the most of their opportunities in the season finale.

With all 11 players on the roster scoring points, the Lady Cubs crushed the Waco Harmony School of Innovation, 69-1, on the road last Friday night to wrap up their District 17-3A schedule. Despite entering the season with a veteran squad focused on returning to the playoffs, multiple injuries to key starters derailed their season at the holiday break.

“The girls had a tough battle this year,” Clifton girls basketball head coach Whitney Holdbrook said. “They learned a lot from each game. I believe this will push them in the offseason to prepare for next year.  We will be losing four seniors who have contributed a lot to this team. Each player will be missed.”

With the season finale, the Lady Cubs (4-8 in district, 14-16 overall) will be saying goodbye to seniors Carley Caniford, a three-year letterman and two-year captain; Camryn Caniford, a three-year letterman; Kambrie Kettler, a three-year letterman; and Kimberlee Walker, a one-year letterman.

Against Harmony, Carley Caniford led the Lady Cubs with 13 points and six steals, followed by junior Laylah Gaona with 10 points and three steals, along with junior Kate Humphreys, sophomore Delilah Martinez and Walker with eight points each.

In the end, the Lady Cubs found the amount of adversity handed to them just too much to overcome. Despite shocking the eventual district champion Maypearl Lady Panthers (9-3, 21-13), 41-39, Jan. 24 to surge back into postseason contention, the Lady Cubs suffered back-to-back losses to Whitney (6-6, 14-16) and playoff-bound West (7-5, 13-13) to be eliminated from any playoff possibilities. With Maypearl leading the way, Grandview (8-4, 23-8), Keene (8-4, 25-8) and West will represent District 17-3A in the playoffs.

In a do-or-die game for both teams, the West Lady Trojans left no doubt with a convincing 39-20 victory over the Lady Cubs at the Clifton High School gymnasium in a contest rescheduled two days later due to the icy winter weather event across North and Central Texas. West shot 50 percent from the field to build a commanding 24-11 lead by halftime before putting the game away by outscoring the Lady Cubs, 9-2, in the third period.

Junior Brianna Gonzalez led Clifton with six points, followed by Gaona with five points and sophomore Camy Barsh with four points and a team-high four rebounds, while Carley Caniford delivered a team-high two assists and grabbed three steals.

Looking for their second straight postseason berth, the Lady Cubs found themselves on the brink of elimination following a heartbreaking 44-41 overtime loss to the arch-rival Whitney Lady Wildcats on the road Jan. 27

But against Whitney, the Lady Cubs turned the ball over 27 times and managed to shoot only 31.7 percent from the field. After jumping out to a 15-9 lead in the first quarter, Clifton clung to a three-point advantage at halftime before trailing 32-30 after three periods. The Lady Cubs rallied in the fourth to force overtime, but Whitney responded on overtime for the crucial win.

Gonzalez led the Lady Cubs with 11 points, 11 rebounds and two assists, followed by Gaona with seven points, nine rebounds and two assists, and Humphreys with six points, eight rebounds and two steals. Freshman Avary Woosley added six points, three assists and two steals, while junior Reagan Thomas pulled down seven rebounds, Caniford grabbed six boards.

In the surprising win over Maypearl, the Lady Panthers enjoyed a four-point lead at halftime, but the Lady Cubs surged in the third period, outscoring Maypearl, 16-6. Taking a six-point advantage into the fourth period, Clifton held off a late Maypearl rally to secure the shocking victory. Clifton overcame 33 turnovers as the Lady Panthers committed 22 fouls. As a result, the Lady Cubs sank 13 of 22 free throw shots, while Maypearl only managed three points from the charity line.

Woosley led Clifton with 14 points and six steals, followed by Gaona with 10 points and three assists, along with Gonzalez with six points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Barsh added six points, while Humphreys pulled down seven rebounds.

“The team came out with a lot of energy and determination,” Holdbrook said. “We were down at halftime and talked about some adjustments that needed to be made in the second half. Then, the girls went out the third quarter and executed those adjustments.”

Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS

©2023 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

RUNNER-UP REMATCH

1 year ago in Girls Basketball

In a low-scoring, defensive struggle, Iredell Lady Dragons upset Meridian Lady Jackets in regular season finale to force District 20-1A playoff for second place

Hoping to put the finishing touches on an impressive run through the District 20-1A schedule that earned a trip to the playoffs, the Meridian Lady Jackets were surprisingly forced to add another chapter to their Cinderella season. But then again, the Iredell Lady Dragons hope to be the ones wearing the glass slippers in the end.

In a head-to-head showdown for the district’s runner-up spot that turned into a low-scoring, defensively struggle, the Lady Jackets never found their rhythm offensively as Iredell walked away with a well-earned 29-22 victory last Tuesday evening. Consequently, before heading to the Class 1A state playoffs, Meridian (9-3 in district, 12-17 overall) and Iredell (9-3, 16-3) with faceoff in a tiebreaker playoff at 5 p.m. Friday in Morgan to determine who will enter the postseason as the district’s second and third seed.

Trailing by a mere three points at halftime, Meridian only managed to sink two field goals in the second half, hitting on only nine of 42 total shots from the field and struggling to make one of eight from the line to lose the game.

Junior Canyon Stauffer led the Lady Jackets with nine points, two assists and four steals, followed by sophomore Journey Stauffer with eight points and two steals, while junior Eve Dirkse led Meridian on the boards with six rebounds.

“Both teams played very hard defensively,” Meridian girls basketball head coach Matthew Butler said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to make open shots against their zone while struggling with free throws. I love our kids’ resiliency and competitive spirit, and I believe we will do well in the tiebreaker.”

Following the runner-up rematch showdown, both teams will be heading to the Class 1A Bi-District playoffs in matchups already determined as the winner will face District 19-1A’s third place and 24th-ranked Gordon (22-8) at 6 p.m. Monday in Dublin, while the loser will matchup with District 19-1A runner-up and fifth-ranked Gorman (29-3) at 6 p.m. Monday in Hamilton.

Thanks to the icy winter weather event across North and Central Texas last week, the Meridian Lady Jackets girls basketball team was forced to postponed Senior Night from last Tuesday until Saturday. But for the Lady Jackets and their fans alike, it proved worth the wait.

Winning for the fourth straight time, the Lady Jackets crushed the Kopperl Lady Eagles, 67-14, to move one step closer to locking down the runner-up spot in District 20-1A behind champion Blum (12-0, 15-3).

“The Kopperl game was Senior Night, so our seniors started the game for us and played hard,” Meridian girls basketball head coach Matthew Butler said. “Our girls were able to shoot the ball pretty well, making five  three-point shots, which was a season high. And we were able to stifle Kopperl with different defenses. Everyone was able to contribute in this final home game of the season.”

Jumping out to a dominating 20-5 first quarter lead over Kopperl (0-12, 0-21), the Lady Jackets built an overwhelming 40-6 advantage by halftime and never looked back. Canyon Stauffer scored a season-high 28 points, hitting 13 of 17 shots from the field, while senior Erika Maldonado tossed in 14 points by sinking three from three-point range, followed by Journey Stauffer with 11 points.

On the postponed Senior Night, Meridian finally had the opportunity to show its appreciation for three seniors — Erika Maldonado, Summer Chen, Abby Edwards.

“We are all very proud of our seniors,” Grant said. “They have each shown unbelievable character, toughness, trust and resiliency in hanging in there and staying with basketball for four tough years.  Certainly basketball teaches many life lessons that will be great tools for them to use as they build their lives. 

“Each of them are very special young ladies with their own unique qualities and abilities, and I have no doubt each of them will be very successful in the next phase of their lives. I hope they will remember these four years with fondness and great memories.”

Using back-to-back impressive District 20-1A victories as a springboard, the Lady Jackets have already team clinched a trip to the Class 1A postseason tournament. After battling to a hard-fought 48-38 win over the Walnut Springs Lady Hornets (6-6, 9-11) Jan. 24, the Lady Jackets crushed the Covington Lady Owls (2-10, 4-14), 43-13, on the road Jan. 27 to maintain sole possession of second place.

In a completely dominating performance on the road, the Lady Jackets shut out Covington in the first quarter to build a commanding 27-5 halftime lead. Junior Canyon Stauffer led Meridian with 19 points while tossing down a trio of three-pointers.

“The Covington game went well with us jumping out to a 17-0 first quarter lead,” Butler said. “Overall, it was a good team win with all of our team contributing in some way. I love the coach ability and effort of these girls. They represent themselves, their family and their school with class and pride every time they take the floor. We’ve come a long way from the first week back in November.”

Maldonado added seven points and pulled down four rebounds, sophomore Mackenzie Borhofen tossed in five points, while Dirkse and Journey Stauffer led the Lady Jackets with five rebounds each.

“After getting the big lead, we then focused on different line ups with a “power team” playing some zone and our “quick team” playing man,” Butler said. “We played everyone in different line ups and experimented with some new zone presses and half court zone the second half.”

Although Meridian jumped out to a five-point lead in the first quarter against Walnut Springs (5-5, 8-10) last Tuesday, the Lady Hornets battled back to make it a two-point game before intermission. With the score tied going into the final frame, the Lady Jackets outscored Walnut Springs, 16-6, down the stretch to ran away with the win.

“Our home game against Walnut was not our best effort, but we gritted out a win,” Butler said. “We executed our offenses pretty well and were able to get some scoring opportunities close to the basket, but unfortunately were not able to put the ball in the basket. To their credit, Walnut made shots and free throws while handling our pressure much better than the first meeting.”

Canyon Stauffer led the Lady Jackets with 17 points and five rebounds, followed by Dirkse with nine points and five boards, sophomore Mariana Paniagua with seven points, Journey Stauffer with six points, four rebounds and three steals, as well as Maldonado with six points and three rebounds.

“In the fourth, we changed up our defenses and were able to capitalize on some steals with some baskets,” Butler said. “We finished the game well and pulled out the victory. I think this game will serve as a good learning opportunity for us down the road.”

Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS

©2023 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

MOVING TWO STEPS CLOSER

1 year ago in Boys Basketball

Remaining undefeated to draw closer to claiming the District 20-1A title, Meridian Yellowjackets sting second place Covington coming off big win over Walnut Springs last week

Making the turn into the second round of District 20-1A competition, the Meridian Yellowjacket boys basketball team took two more steps toward a district championship by extending its winning streak to seven straight games. The Jackets ran past Walnut Springs, 55-29, at home last Tuesday before posting a convincing victory over second place Covington, 52-34, to strengthen their hold of first place.

“Covington is a really good and well-coached team, so we are very happy to have picked up a win at their place,” Meridian head coach Grant Schur said. “I thought we played really well. There are still some things that we need to work on and fix, but that will always be the case. We played with an intensity I really haven’t seen from us in a while.”

After the week with the convincing win over Covington, the Jackets (8-0 in district, 17-7 overall) will play host to the Kopperl Eagles (0-7, 3-18) Thursday at 7:15 p.m. in a game postponed from Tuesday due to the icy winter weather event across North and Central Texas. Then after an open date in the schedule on Friday, Meridian will resume the stretch run through the district schedule on the road against the Iredell Dragons (3-6, 6-15) at 7:15 p.m. Feb. 7 aiming to clinch the district title.

Against Covington (6-2, 18-7), the Jackets built a commanding 26-14 lead by halftime and never looked back, outscoring the Owls in all four periods. Sophomore Jordon Sheffer led Meridian with 13 points and four steals, followed by senior Camron Sheffer with 10 points, eight rebounds and five blocks. Senior Brady Taylor added eight points and five rebounds, sophomore Matty Jones tossed in eight points and dished out five assists, while senior John Bernal pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds and grabbed six steals along with scoring six points.

“We jumped out to an 11-0 lead, and did a good job of maintaining our momentum the remainder of the game,” Schur said. “I’m just really proud of our guys, this was a big win for us and gets us one step closer to reaching one of our goals.

In opening the second round of district with a dominating victory over Walnut Springs (4-4, 12-9), 10 different players scored points for the Jackets. Jordon Sheffer led Meridian with 12 points, followed by Camron Sheffer with eight points and a game-high nine rebounds.

“It was a district win, and at this point in the season, you have to be happy about that,” Schur said. “It was one of those days for us, everything just kind of felt off all day. Before the game was the same, and then during the game, we just never got into a rhythm. We were pretty banged up and short-handed with our normal guys, but we managed to get the win.

“I want to give Coach (Lonnie) Flippen and those kids at Walnut Springs a lot of praise. They are really beat up right now. But those kids just keep fighting, and they play really hard. They could’ve very easily just quit playing last night, but they never did. Even at the very end, they were still fighting for loose balls and playing hard. They have a lot to be proud of over there.”

Taylor added seven points and pulled down five rebounds, senior Dustan Bowers tossed in six points, junior Brayden Wehmeyer scored six points and Bernal contributed five points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals, while senior Junior Rodriguez led the Jackets with four assists.

“On the upside of that, we got to see some guys get more minutes than normal, and I saw some really good things out of those guys,” Schur said. “I saw some things we need to work on also, but I am pretty pleased with how those guys played and obviously getting a win.

“We need to regroup this week, focus on some foundation things that we do, and keep plugging away trying to get better,” Schur said. “It’s that time of year it gets to really be a grind, you’ve already played everyone once, the season is starting to get a little long. So, we have to push through the grind and stay focused on what is at hand now.”

Leaving no doubt on the court, the Jackets remained undefeated in District 20-1A as they made the turn into the second round of competition. And the Jackets did so by living up to expectation in a much-anticipated showdown. Producing a total team effort, Meridian overcame early injuries to key players to surge past the Morgan Eagles, 48-40, Jan. 20 to stake its undisputed claim to sole possession of first place.

“We are extremely happy to have finished the first round of district undefeated, but we have a long way to go,” Schur said. “Obviously, the win against Morgan was huge, especially after playing the majority of that game with two of our better scorers and defenders out with injuries. I am really proud of the way our guys stepped up and found a way to win shorthanded and in a wild environment.”

Against Morgan (4-4, 12-6), the Jackets enjoyed a 27-19 advantage at halftime, but the Eagles battled back to make it a four-point game going into the final period. Meridian rebuilt its lead down the stretch before holding on for the eight-point win.

Jones led the Jackets with 12 points while offering three assists and coming up with four steals, followed by Camron Sheffer with 10 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks as well as Bernal with 10 points, 10 rebounds and six steals. Rodriguez contributed three assists and three steals, while Taylor tossed in five points and grabbed four steals.

After crushing the Iredell Dragons, 74-22, at home Jan. 13, the Jackets knocked off the Blum Bobcats, 61-50, to set up the showdown with Morgan. Although the Jackets jumped out to an early 15-9 first quarter lead, Blum came clawing back with a 23-point second period to make it a one-point game at halftime.

“I am just happy to have gotten out of that game with a win,” Schur said. “Blum is probably the best four-win team I have seen. Their kids play hard and are very physical. Our bench players stepped up huge last night and had to play a lot of minutes because of foul trouble. We pride ourselves on the depth that we have, and it really showed last night.”

Coming out of the locker room, the Meridian defense shut down the Bobcats in the third period to rebuild its lead before the Jackets put Blum away in the fourth. Five Meridian players scored in double figures, led by senior Braxton Allen with 12 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, followed by Bernal with 11 points and five steals. Jordan Sheffer contributed 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and a game-high 10 steals, Camron Sheffer added 10 points, eight rebounds and a game high 10 blocks, as well as Jones with 10 points, nine rebounds and five steals.

“There were plenty of opportunities last night for us to fold, and we never did,” Schur said. “I told them at halftime I was calm because I was confident in them, and I knew that we were going to be alright and get the win. We did some uncharacteristic things last night, and some of that had to do with what Blum was doing to us, but some of it was just on us.”

Photos by WENDY OROZCO

©2023 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

GOING TO THE SHOW

1 year ago in Girls Basketball

With back-to-back District 20-1A victories over Walnut Springs and Covington, the Meridian Lady Jackets clinch playoff berth heading down the home stretch of the regular season

Using back-to-back impressive District 20-1A victories as a springboard, the Meridian Lady Jackets girls basketball team clinched a trip to the Class 1A postseason tournament. After battling to a hard-fought 48-38 win over the Walnut Springs Lady Hornets last Tuesday, the Lady Jackets crushed the Covington Lady Owls, 43-13, on the road last Friday to maintain sole possession of second place behind the undefeated district-leader Blum Lady Bobcats.

“As of now, we are the district runner-up, and we will do our best to finish district in that seeding,” Meridian girls basketball head coach Matthew Butler said. “With two games left to play, we feel good about our chances taking care of business with Kopperl, which will set up a big finale at Iredell to determine second place.”

With two regular season matchups remaining for the Lady Jackets (8-2 in district, 11-16 overall), Meridian plays host to the Kopperl Lady Eagles (0-9, 0-18) Thursday at 6 p.m. in a game postponed from Tuesday due to the icy winter weather event across North and Central Texas. Then after an open date in the schedule on Friday, Meridian will close out the district schedule on the road against the Iredell Lady Dragons (6-3, 13-3) at 6 p.m. Feb. 7 in a showdown for second place in district.

In a completely dominating performance on the road last Friday night, the Lady Jackets shut out Covington (3-6, 5-10) in the first quarter to build a commanding 27-5 halftime lead. Junior Canyon Stauffer led Meridian with 19 points while tossing down a trio of three-pointers.

“The Covington game went well with us jumping out to a 17-0 first quarter lead,” Butler said. “Overall, it was a good team win with all of our team contributing in some way. I love the coachability and effort of these girls. They represent themselves, their family and their school with class and pride every time they take the floor. We’ve come a long way from the first week back in November.”

Senior Erika Maldonado added seven points and pulled down four rebounds, sophomore Mackenzie Borhofen tossed in five points, while junior Eve Dirkse and sophomore Journey Stauffer led the Lady Jackets with five rebounds each.

“After getting the big lead, we then focused on different line ups with a “power team” playing some zone and our “quick team” playing man,” Butler said. “We played everyone in different line ups and experimented with some new zone presses and half court zone the second half.”

Although Meridian jumped out to a five-point lead in the first quarter against Walnut Springs (5-5, 8-10) last Tuesday, the Lady Hornets battled back to make it a two-point game before intermission. With the score tied going into the final frame, the Lady Jackets outscored Walnut Springs, 16-6, down the stretch to run away with the win.

“Our home game against Walnut was not our best effort, but we gritted out a win,” Butler said. “We executed our offenses pretty well and were able to get some scoring opportunities close to the basket, but unfortunately were not able to put the ball in the basket. To their credit, Walnut made shots and free throws while handling our pressure much better than the first meeting.”

Canyon Stauffer led the Lady Jackets with 17 points and five rebounds, followed by Dirkse with nine points and five boards, sophomore Mariana Paniagua with seven points, Journey Stauffer with six points, four rebounds and three steals, as well as Maldonado with six points and three rebounds.

“In the fourth, we changed up our defenses and were able to capitalize on some steals with some baskets,” Butler said. “We finished the game well and pulled out the victory. I think this game will serve as a good learning opportunity for us down the road.”

Despite losing their highly-anticipated District 20-1A rematch with Blum (9-0, 12-3) to open the second round, the Lady Jackets rebounded for a signature win to establish themselves as one of the teams to beat in the race for postseason berths. Even though losing to the Lady Bobcats, 43-29, left them realistically playing for second place, the Lady Jackets used a dominating 50-9 victory at Morgan Jan. 20 to take the driver’s seat down the stretch.

“The Morgan game was a good team effort for our girls,” Butler said. “I was especially proud of our defensive effort against Morgan, holding them to only three points going into the fourth quarter. We continue to improve in playing pressure defense without fouling.”

Jumping out to an early 17-3 first period lead, the Lady Jackets shut out the Eagles (2-8, 3-15) for the next two quarters before surrendering six points in the final frame. Journey Stauffer led Meridian with 17 points, eight rebounds and three steals, while Canyon Stauffer tossed in 13 points, pulled down six rebounds and grabbed three steals.

“It was good to have the opportunity to play everyone a lot — especially our younger, less experienced players in the fourth quarter,” Butler said. “The girls did a nice job sharing the ball and making the extra pass in transition to score some easy baskets. It is always our goal to consistently play at our best energy level and standard, no matter what the score.” 

Hoping to avenge their 35-27 loss on Dec. 13, the Lady Jackets opened the second round of district with a disappointing 43-29 loss to undefeated district-leading Blum Jan. 17 in Yellowjacket Gymnasium, snapping Meridian’s five-game winning streak.

Using a fast-paced style of play, Blum ran past the Lady Jackets to build a commanding 22-12 first quarter lead before Meridian in the second to cut the advantage down to four points. But the Lady Bobcats rebuilt the lead before intermission and won the defensive battle in the second half to secure the win.

“The first quarter was high scoring with a lot of intensity, turnovers and fouls by both teams,” Butler said. “We dug ourselves a hole in the first quarter due to some turnovers and early fouls, which enabled them to score at the free throw line. However, I was really proud of our team’s effort fighting back to within four before the half.”

Although Meridian cut Blum’s lead down to seven points in the fourth, the Lady Bobcats hit their free throw opportunities down the stretch, making 22 of 37 shots from the line during the game, compared to the Lady Jackets with five of 19.

In the low-scoring effort, Canyon Stauffer led the Lady Jackets with seven points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, followed by Journey Stauffer with six points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals, as well as Dirkse with five points and seven rebounds.

“Blum is an athletic high energy team who plays fast,” Butler said. “We had our opportunities, but we didn’t capitalize when we needed to down the stretch. I’m proud of the heart of our Lady Jackets as they played hard to the very end.”

Photos by WENDY OROZCO

©2023 Southern Cross Creative, LLP. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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