UPHILL CLIMB LIES AHEAD

Heading into the second round of District 20-1A, defending district champion Meridian Yellowjackets tied for third behind Morgan, Covington

Despite a disappointing 62-37 loss to the high-flying Morgan Eagles, the Meridian Yellowjackets also posted a hard-fought 63-55 victory over the Blum Bobcats last week. And in the process, the Jackets secured a tie for third place as the first round of District 20-1A boys basketball competition wrapped up.

Facing back-to-back crucial contests this week, Meridian (3-3 in district, 12-8 overall) will travel to Walnut Springs looking to break the third place tie and sweep the Hornets (3-3, 8-6) at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday before hosting the second place Covington Owls (5-1, 15-10) at 7:15 p.m. Friday in Yellowjacket Gymnasium.

In defense of their first boys basketball district title in 20 years, the Jackets hope to avenge first round losses to Covington, Iredell and undefeated district-leading Morgan to get back into the title chase.

“Friday night’s loss to Morgan was one of those down nights after being up from Tuesday’s win at Blum,” Meridian boys basketball head coach Grant Schur said. “That is for sure one of our major focuses going into the second round of district. We have to play at a high level every night, and for all four quarters.”

Against Blum (2-4, 2-17), the Jackets jumped out to a commanding 28-9 first period lead, but the Bobcats battled back by outscoring Meridian, 20-6, in the second quarter. After rebuilding an eight-point advantage in the third, the Jackets held off Blum in the final period to secure the win. While forcing 38 turnovers, Meridian shot 44.6 percent from the field and capitalized for 28 points off turnovers.

“It was good to bounce back after last week’s loss in Iredell,” Schur said. “Once again, we had a great first quarter and a total collapse in the second quarter. I told the kids last night that I don’t know what we are going to do, but we are going to do something different between the first and second quarter. We managed to calm down a little bit at halftime and right the ship some to hold on for the win.”

Junior Matty Jones led the Jackets with 28 points and six steals, followed by freshman Guillermo Ortiz with nine points, four assists and five steals, as well as juniors Ben Beaudin and Jesus Martinez with seven each. Freshman Josh Nunez pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, dished out eight assists and came up with four steals, while Beaudin and Martinez grabbed five each.

“I was really proud of how we responded to adversity,” Schur said. “Blum is without a doubt one of the hardest places to go play and get a win. Their kids play extremely hard at home, the environment is a tough one, it is just a tough place to win. I feel like we showed some growth in this one that we needed a week ago when things started to not go our way. So, I’m really proud of how we were able to respond and get a much-needed win.”

But things did not go Meridian’s way against the Eagles (6-0, 17-1) as Morgan grabbed a quick 16-8 lead in the first period and enjoyed a 12-point advantage at halftime. The Eagles continued to pour it on in the third, outscoring Meridian, 15-7, before coasting to a convincing victory to wrap up the first round of district undefeated.

In the loss, Nunez led Meridian with 13 points, followed by Jones with seven, as well as sophomores Noah Smith and Garrett Pope with five each.

“First off, Coach Wilson is doing a fantastic job at Morgan,” Schur said. “They were pretty good last year, but he’s got them playing really well. We just kind of continue on our roller coaster of ups and downs. I’m sure it has a lot to do with our youth. But we’re still trying to figure out how to be more consistent throughout games, and game-to-game.”