CLINTON — Most area basketball teams enjoyed a rare day off Monday.

Not the Meridian Wildcats.

Playing in the first Rumble in the South prep showcase at Mississippi College in Clinton, head coach Randy Bolden’s Wildcats were busy facing their toughest test of the season.

And for two quarters, the Wildcats passed that test with flying colors.

Unfortunately for Bolden and his squad, one of Louisiana’s top teams had other ideas.

After Meridian raced out to a 16-4 lead within the game’s first 5 minutes, the visiting Bearcats of Ruston clawed their way back, finally catching Meridian midway through the third quarter en route to a 72-57 win.

“They are a well-coached team and they picked up their defensive intensity in the second half,” remarked Bolden, who watched his team fall to 17-6 on the season.

“I thought we really relaxed on the defensive end after starting out well. Our intensity faded and we gambled too much, but overall this was a great experience for this team.”

Meridian’s pressing defense, a staple under Bolden, keyed an early spurt that saw the Wildcats sprint out to a first-quarter lead. The Wildcats forced three turnovers in the game’s first minute and converted those into the game’s first six points.

Meridian forced eight first-quarter miscues and sharpshooting guard Jared Hudnall connected on three-of-four from beyond the arc to fuel Meridian’s early run.

The Wildcats led 19-13 after one quarter.

“We stopped executing offensively after the first quarter, but a lot of the credit for that goes to (Ruston),” Bolden added. “They have some outstanding athletes that know how t play the game.”

The Bearcats closed the gap in the second quarter, cutting the Meridian lead to 33-32 at halftime.

In the second half, Louisiana Tech signee Josh Brown and forward Davion Spivey combined for 26 points to help Ruston pull away. The Bearcats took their first lead with three minutes remaining in the third on a layup from Brown and never looked back.

In the second half, Ruston’s halfcourt defense limited Meridian to just 7-of-24 shooting from the floor.

Brown finished the game with 24 to lead all scorers while Spivey chipped in 17.

For Meridian, Hudnall drained five from 3-point territory to lead Meridian with 17 points. Forward Deshun Carter added 14 for the Wildcats.

“This was a very good learning experience for us,” Bolden said. “We are still a young team and events like this are great to be a part of.”