PETAL —
Thursday night, the Meridian girls basketball team saw its season slipping away, trailing Oak Grove in the fourth quarter of the Region 5-6A semifinal. After Friday night’s 48-38 win against Hattiesburg at Petal High School, the Wildcats now sit atop Region 5-6A as district champions.
“It wasn’t just the tournament, it’s been like this the whole season,” Meridian head coach Patricia Wilson said. “Our district is so loaded, we all beat each other. Oak Grove was a great team that could have easily been here too. It’s like that every year in this division, you are always going to have great teams.”
The ’Cats have grown accustomed to big nights from post players Kayla Gordon and Miracle Dubose. Friday was no different, as both scored 14 points to lead Meridian. Gordon also tallied 10 rebounds on the night and was named MVP of the Region 5-6A tournament.
“Nobody can stop us,” Gordon said of her and Dubose. “I’m peanut butter and she’s jelly, that’s just how we do it.”
Gordon missed last year’s district tournament with a torn ACL and said she was hungry to contribute to the Wildcats success.
“I just wanted to come out and do everything possible to help my team, and that’s what I did,” Gordon said. “It was very big, after last year I was just going to do what I needed to do.”
The key difference for Meridian in the win was the Wildcats’ ability to hit free throws. Meridian went 10 of 11 from the line on the night, while Hattiesburg only hit two of 10 free-throw attempts on the night.
“Ever since the second half of the season, we have tried to get better with our free-throw shooting,” Wilson said. “We were down to a point where we were shooting around 50 percent and we have been getting better.”
While winning the district and securing a host game is important to Wilson, the head coach also said the experience of getting to play some of the state’s best teams will benefit her team later on in the playoffs.
“The competition is key,” Wilson said. “It’s the completion that will prepare us.”
Sports
MHS girls win 5-6A crown
- Sports
-
-
Upton, Braves slam Dodgers 8-5
Justin Upton gave Atlanta the lead with a sixth-inning grand slam and the Braves finally unveiled their full-strength lineup, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-5 on Friday night.
-
Enterprise in search of 3rd fast-pitch title
Davey Dewitt has accomplished a lot in his first year as head softball coach at Enterprise High School. After a runner-up performance in 2A slow-pitch last fall, Enterprise and Dewitt have returned to the state championships in fast-pitch.
-
Orb has gone from ordinary to extraordinary
Growing up, Kentucky Derby winner Orb was just another horse who fit in with the crowd.
Never caused problems. Never raised a ruckus. Never got sick or hurt while frolicking in the fields of Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., with his pals, or when he was learning how to be a racehorse at Niall Brennan's farm in Ocala, Fla. Did everything asked of him. - Newton County wins Game 1 over Stanislaus
- Swim team takes 10 gold medals
-
Knights come up short
Down a run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, with the tying run standing on second base, West Lauderdale's Will Stokes stepped up to the plate ––Jerry Boatner Field was rocking.
Two pitches later, as Stokes lined out to first base to end the game, no one said a word. - MSU to eclipse 5-million mark at Dudy Noble Field tonight
- Lamar’s Mabry named MAIS Female Athlete of the Year
- EC battles PRC to begin Region 23 Tournament
-
Going to State
Tied 2-2 with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Newton County softball coach Justin Chaney made second baseman Latesia Davis a promise. Just put the ball in play, Chaney said –– something good will happen.
- More Sports Headlines
-
Upton, Braves slam Dodgers 8-5
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
Raw: School Bus Crash Injures Five Children
Quick Response Saved Baby on Phila. Train Tracks
One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh
