EDITOR’S NOTE — This article original contained incorrect info about the outcome of the boys’ contest.

Senior night was a good night for Arianna Patton both on and off the court as she led Meridian High School with 24 points in a 67-33 win against Hattiesburg Tuesday evening.

The game was the Lady Wildcats’ season opener, as their scheduled Nov. 5 game at Starkville was canceled due to COVID-19. The MHS girls opted to host senior night — Patton is the team’s lone 12th grader — for their home opener, and the recent Jones College signee made her presence felt by leading her team in double-digit scoring.

“I was especially proud of her,” MHS girls basketball coach Deneshia Faulkner said. “She got into a bit of an offensive rut, but she pushed through it and didn’t give up on (scoring), and she was able to lead her team. I think it showed a lot of maturity in her.”

Debreasha Powe scored 22 points for MHS, which led 29-20 at the half, and Kaylin Hite chipped in with 11 points for the Lady Wildcats.

Faulkner said her players showed some early first-game nervousness, but they were eventually able to push through those to win the game by more than 30 points.

“Newbie jitters are out of the way, so that’s a blessing,” Faulkner said. “It wasn’t bad. We played through it, and at the end of the day they played hard, so that’s all you can ask for.”

MHS rose to 1-0 on the season. 

BOYS’ GAME FORFEITED

MHS is waiting for a new waxing job on its home court, as well as the installation of an air conditioning system. The lack of both was made apparent during the boys’ game, when players for both teams were slipping due to perspiration on the court.

Play was halted for more than 10 minutes in the first half because of the slippery playing surface, and officials stopped the game again with 6.7 seconds left in the third quarter and MHS leading 32-14. Hattiesburg eventually chose to forfeit the game due to concerns about player safety, making it a win on MHS’s schedule.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever been a part of something like this. It was slick out there, and kids were falling, and nobody wanted to get hurt,” MHS boys head coach Ron Norman said.

Norman said the humidity outside — Meridian’s temperature was in the 70s Tuesday night, unseasonably warm for November — combined with a lack of air conditioning inside and the presence of players and fans contributed to the slippery conditions.

“It just started soaking in, and the floor got slick,” Norman said.

Despite it affecting his team’s performance, Norman said he was proud of his players for their defensive efforts on the slippery court.

“I though the floor kind of limited everything we were trying to do because nobody could get traction on the floor, so no moves were made assertively,” Norman said. “Our kids still played hard, and even through adversity, we still guarded them. It’s like a football game when it’s raining. Both teams are in the rain, and both of our teams were on the floor, so we were able to show we could play through adverse situations.”

The Wildcats (1-1) dropped their season opener at Starkville 77-40 on Nov. 5, and they’re scheduled to travel to Gulfport on Thursday. MHS isn’t scheduled to have a home game again until Nov. 24 against Quitman.