FINDING THE WINNING WAY

After shocking defending champion Blum in District 20-1A opener, Meridian Lady Jackets roll to third straight win by easing past Morgan, Walnut Springs

Before heading home for the holidays, the Meridian Lady Jackets still had some unfinished business to take care of in the midst of the first round of District 20-1A competition.

Bringing a little more cheer to their Christmas celebration, the Lady Jackets extended their district opening winning streak to three straight by stinging the Walnut Springs Lady Hornets, 46-21, Dec. 19 in Yellowjacket Gymnasium to remain undefeated in District 20-1A play going into an eight-day break for the holidays.

Led by senior Canyon Stauffer with 14 points and junior Journey Stauffer with 12, the Lady Jackets (3-0 in district, 6-14 overall) took another step toward establishing themselves as the team to beat in district as senior Eve Dirkse added eight points and sophomore Dyna Potter tossed in five.

“This 3-0 start to district is something that we have been working for,” Meridian girls basketball first-year head coach Adan Reyes said. “With these young ladies having to go through turnover every year, especially for the seniors, it’s been ground work in everything. Offense, defense, transition, you name it. But the young ladies have done a wonderful job of buying into the system and doing what my coaching staff and I have asked of them.

“That’s not to mention the leadership that the seniors Canyon Stauffer and Eve Dirkse and our juniors Journey Stauffer and Mariana Paniagua have shown. The mentoring they have done to our younger bunch has been fabulous. They all work together well and have put the team above individual success.”

After Walnut Springs (2-1, 6-4) held their own in the first quarter, the Lady Jacket built a commanding 21-10 lead before halftime before putting the game away in the second half.

“Walnut had been playing some good basketball, and we knew they were on a mission to come in and steal one from us at home,” Reyes said. “The first quarter showed that they were ready and determined to let it be known that they were a team to be aware of in the district.

“The Lady Jackets, however, stood their ground and fought off everything the Lady Hornets threw their way. Coming out the second half, the ladies did what they had to and slowly started putting the Lady Hornets away.”

In a seven-team District 20-1A battle this season, the Lady Jackets have established themselves as one of the teams to beat early in the race, along with Blum, Iredell, Walnut Springs, Morgan, Covington and Kopperl. Coming out taking an eight-day break for Christmas, Meridian will host Waco Live Oak Charter in a non-district game at 1 p.m. Dec. 28 before resuming district play on the road against Covington at 6 p.m. Jan. 2.

“The district race will be a tight one all the way until the last district game,” Reyes said. “The one and two seeds will fight it out in the end, but also the fight for the fourth and final spot will be interesting as well. We still have a solid group of teams to play in this first round of district against Covington and Iredell after the Christmas break. Coach Mayes at Covington and Coach Hatridge at Iredell do a great job with their programs, and they will bring their A game against us.

“As I told the team, we focus on the next task at hand and we don’t take anyone lightly or overlook anyone in the district. Our goal is to take it one district game at a time. And as long as we prepare and compete, then everything else will take care of itself. In order for us to knock off the district champs, we need to make sure we show up, execute and play great basketball both times we play them.”

Proving that battling through a tough non-district and tournament schedule would payoff with hard work and determination, the Lady Jacket came together to begin notching victories at just the right time.

Shocking the defending District 20-1A champion Blum Lady Bobcats, the Lady Jackets came-from-behind in the second half to pull off a dramatic 42-41 overtime win in the district opener Dec. 12. Journey Stauffer led Meridian with 14 points, while Canyon Stauffer, Dirkse and Potter tossed in six points apiece.

“Going into our district opener against Blum, we knew it was going to be a tough battle,” Reyes said. “I really feel like the gauntlet of games we ran through at our tournaments helped prepare us for the opener.

“Blum is the defending district champ, and we knew we were going to have to play a great game all around because they always have a great team over there. It took an extra period, but the Lady Jackets kept fighting and prevailed with the win.”

Riding the momentum of the thrilling victory over Blum, the Lady Jackets completely overwhelmed the Morgan Lady Eagles, 38-8, in a district tilt Dec. 15. Meridian jumped out to a commanding 27-3 halftime lead as Canyon Stauffer led the Lady Jackets with 10 points, followed by Journey Stauffer with nine, freshman Sarah Rosales with five, along with Dirkse and Potter with four each.

“Coming off a huge win over Blum, the chance of the adrenaline roller coaster playing a factor was a thought lingering in my mind,” Reyes said. “I reiterated to the ladies during the week that we need to focus on the next task at hand, which was Morgan and reemphasized over and over that we do not overlook and take anyone lightly. Morgan always has a scrappy group that is always going to bring the fight to you. We got off to a slow start, but then managed to slowly start pulling away from Morgan.

“Our Lady Jackets have continued to work hard and continue to improve,” Reyes said. “We have everyone trying to do their part. The older group is leading the way. And because of the low numbers, the younger group is in a trial by fire position. Sometimes things are coming at them a lot faster than it did last year at the junior high level. My coaching staff and I continue to emphasize and re-emphasis that this is a marathon, and not a sprint.”