Meridian’s Traemond Pittman gets called for a charge as he goes in for a shot against Harrison Central Saturday night during East Central Community College’s MLK Shootout tournament.

DECATUR — The combination of Miles Miller and Tyron Brewer has worked for quite a while.

It was no different on Saturday night.

Behind Miller and Brewer, along with a strong second half, Meridian ran past Harrison Central 63-46 in the inaugural MLK Shootout at East Central’s Brackeen-Wood gym.

“I was real proud of Ty for the energy he brought early, and then Miles did what he’s supposed to do in the second half,” Meridian coach Ron Norman said. “The two-way combo with them is what carries us and make us good. Harrison Central is a really good team, and that was a preview of what we might see in the playoffs.”

In a what could be a playoff matchup between the two South 6A teams, it was a possession by possession game early with Meridian holding to a slim 23-21 lead at halftime.

But in the second half, Miller took over.

Miller poured in a game-high 25 points to lead Meridian and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

He scored 15 points in the third quarter that helped the Wildcats pull away at 50-33 at the end of the period.

“I started off rough in the first half with foul trouble, but coach told me to step up, and the team was going to depend on me, so I had to come through for the team,” Miller said. “We definitely wanted to send a message. They had a big win last night against Biloxi, and a lot of people thought it was going to be a good game, but we had to prove a point.”

Brewer added 12 points for Meridian (21-1), while Vontrell Pringle and Makeem Roberts chipped in six points apiece.

“Me and Miles have been playing together since we were 8 or 9 years old, so our chemistry is perfect,” Brewer said. “We just have to stay focused so we can get another ring.”

Copiah-Lincoln Community College signee Daquan Perkins had 16 points to lead Harrison Central, while Dayjon Whitworth added nine points for the Red Rebels (11-6), who were coming a win over previously unbeaten Biloxi on Friday night.

“In the first half, we played decent defensively, but we came out sluggish in the second half, and that cost us,” Harrison Central coach Francisco Hardy said. “This could be a playoff matchup down the road, so that’s why I wanted to schedule it so we know where we stand and help us get better.”