JACKSON – Wildcat players formed a line on the floor of the Mississippi Coliseum to receive their runner-up trophy and medals moments after their 61-46 loss to Starkville in Saturday’s MHSAA Class 6A championship.

Head coach Ron Norman walked up to each player and stopped to shake their hand. He then pulled them into him and whispered words of encouragement into their ears.

 “Keep your heads up – I’m proud of you, there’s no need to cry,” Norman said of his postgame message to his players. “I know it hurts, but we got here. I know it hurts. I told each and every one of them that I love them and I appreciate them accepting me when I got here as an outsider. And I appreciate every one of them for letting me coach them.”

Meridian, playing in its third-consecutive 6A championship, concluded its season at 26-5 with the loss. Saturday’s contest marked the second time this year that Starkville got the best of Meridian, as the Yellowjackets earned a 60-59 victory in November.

Meridian rolled into Saturday’s championship after dominating its way through four postseason opponents. The Wildcats opened the playoffs with a 50-point win against Pearl, and they picked up an eye-raising four-point win on the road against previous one-loss Biloxi en route to the finals.

Starkville, meanwhile, rode a 21-game win streak into the final with just one blemish on its season’s resume. Since 2015, either Meridian or Starkville represented one half of 6A’s final teams.

Meridian and Starkville entered the second quarter with the score tied at nine before the Yellowjackets built an 18-11 lead courtesy of two field goals by Atavius Jones, a 3-pointer by Trey Jackson and two free throws by Eric Green.

Meridian’s Traemond Pittman halted a 7-0 Starkville run with a basket at the 2:46 mark of the second quarter, but the Wildcats were outscored 13-6 in the period to trail 22-15 at the break.

The Wildcats shot just 28 percent in the first half.

Trailing 38-23 with 2:21 remaining in the third quarter, Pittman connected on one of two free throws. He added a field goal, which was followed by 3-pointers from Vontrell Pringle and Kyler Yarbrough. With 11 seconds remaining in the third, Pringle pulled up from behind the arc and uncorked another 3-pointer to end the quarter on an 11-0 Meridian run, as Starkville took a 38-34 lead into the final quarter.

Pittman opened the fourth with a pair of free throws to trim Starkville’s lead to two points, and MaKeem Roberts hit a jumper with 5:27 left in the game to cut the Yellowjackets’ advantage to 42-40.

Starkville outscored Meridian 13-3 over the last 2:47 to win its first state title since 2015.

Pittman finished his prep career with a team-high 13 points and another team-high eight rebounds.  After the loss, the visibly emotional point guard stood near his teammates on the floor. Wildcats assistant William Byrd consoled Pittman before Norman made his way over him.

“It’s the finality of it,” Norman said. “I said, ‘T. Pittman, you’ve played in the last game of the year your 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade year.’ Not only just sat on the bench, but he played as a 10th-grader, he started as an 11th-grader and he started as 12th-grader. That’s a great career.”

Production from the bench has been a cornerstone of Meridian’s success throughout the season. The Wildcats’ bench accounted for just two points Saturday.

Twenty minutes after the final buzzer went off, Wildcat supporters crowded around the team’s locker room and clapped and erupted into cheer as players emerged for the final time this season. Of Meridian’s 15 rostered players, four are seniors. Eight juniors will return as seniors next year seeking to appear in Meridian’s fourth title game in as many years.

“When I interviewed here, I said in my interview that I just want to continue to make Meridian perennial,” Norman said. “That means that at the end of the day, we’re in the conversation. And if you’re in the conversation, that means you’re in here. I think we’ve done that, and I think we’ve represented our city and our school. I think I have great kids, and we’re just going to look forward to next year.”

Pringle and Roberts each finished with 11 points, and Pringle added two blocks and two steals.

Starkville’s Zeke Cook tallied a game-high 15 points. Tyler Talley added 12 and Jones ended with 11.