WILD ROLLERCOASTER RIDE

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.”