If there was any indication of how Meridian’s matchup against Lakewood was going to go, it was the first 30 seconds of the game.
The Trojans got a quick basket and immediately forced a turnover on defense with a 5-second inbounds violation from the Cougars.
The rest of the game wasn’t much different as Meridian coasted to a 66-22 win.
It wasn’t long before the Trojans had built up an 18-4 lead in the first quarter as the Cougars’ offense was out of sync all game and couldn’t find a way to get past Meridian’s full-court press.
By halftime, the Trojans headed to the locker room ahead 38-7.
Allie Richter with the 3 and there’s a running clock here at Meridian. pic.twitter.com/rZPAsVXPvd
— CDN Sports (@CDN_sports) February 3, 2022
“That was probably the best team win we’ve had in a while,” Meridian coach Bree Park said. “We’ve been focusing on getting our defense going and really attacking the gaps. We’ve been working on that all week.”
The Trojans were on fire from beyond the arc early and nearly half of their total points came from deep. They hit 10 3-pointers as a team with four of them coming from junior Avery Neal in the first half.
Meridian had three players score in double figures, with Neal who scored a game-high 14 points along with sophomore Allie Richter. Senior Ellie DeWaard scored nine of her 13 points in the first quarter.
Park said it was nice to see shots drop all night.
“It’s just contagious at that point,” she said. “Shooters shoot. That’s what I keep telling them. They all buy in and want to get the ball to each other more than shoot it themselves. This team is selfless and sometimes we want them to be a little selfish.”
Neal said the Cougars weren’t always guarding around the line and the shots were there for the taking.
“I think my teammates did a great job creating for me and Lakewood wasn’t always stepping out, so we always say, ‘If you’re open, shoot it,’” Neal said.
The win marks the fourth in a row for Meridian after dropping a game to La Conner Jan. 18.
Park said they won’t spend much time on this win with a game against Lynden Christian on deck Friday.
“We’re 1-0 tonight and 0-0 tomorrow,” she said.
Meridian improved to 14-4 and is sitting at fourth place in the Northwest Conference with an 11-2 conference record. The Trojans are a virtual lock for the No. 3 seed in the district tournament next week behind Nooksack Valley and Lynden Christian.
