Meridian High wins opener in thriller
By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
November 10, 2004
LIVINGSTON, Ala. Every game cannot go the way Tuesday night's did for the Meridian High School boys' basketball team, Wildcats head coach Ernie Watson doesn't have enough hairs left on his head to lose.
The No. 4 Wildcats (1-0) pulled out an 80-76 overtime win over the Livingston High School Cougars (0-1), who finished runner-up in last season's Class 4A Alabama state championship. The Lady Wildcats (1-0) had a little easier night defeating the Lady Cougars 59-42.
Meridian High point guard Chris Harris gave his team the lead for good with 1:17 left in overtime.
The senior guard stole the ball in his defensive end and streaked down the court for a layup and a 77-76 lead. Meridian High padded its victory margin with one free throw from Cornelius Miles and two from Jacolby Davis.
Harris was able to redeem himself thanks to a buzzer-beating shot at the end of the fourth quarter by center Cyrus McGowan.
Trailing 74-72 with five seconds to play after an alley-oop dunk by the Cougars' Roland Fitch, the Wildcats inbounded the ball to Davis.
The senior shooting guard raced down the court and dished the ball off to McGowan on the right block at the last second. The Wildcats center scored on a layup as the buzzer sounded to tie the game at 74.
Meridian High had to deal with a scary moment on its way to the overtime victory over Livingston.
With 5:23 remaining in the third quarter, McGowan aggravated his left ankle, which he sprained over the summer.
Meridian High's center did not return to the game until 40 seconds into the fourth quarter, with the Wildcats trailing the Cougars 58-51. McGowan tallied six points and grabbed three rebounds after he re-entered the game.
The Wildcats had built a 31-20 lead midway through the second quarter of the game, but the Cougars knocked their deficit down to 40-36 by halftime.
Livingston quickly erased its deficit in the third quarter, outscoring Meridian High 11-1 in the second half's opening four minutes for a 47-41 lead.
Meridian High knocked Livingston's lead down to 57-51 by the end of third quarter, and the Wildcats took their first lead of the game, 61-60, since halftime with 4:19 left to play.
The Cougars retook the lead 10 seconds later, 62-61, and the Wildcats never led again until the opening minutes of overtime.
Davis led the Wildcats' offense with 26 points, and Miles tallied 14 points and seven rebounds.
Fitch paced the Cougars' offense with 18 points, and Maurice Green added 17. Jeremy Yates scored 14 points for Livingston.
Meridian (girls) 59
Livingston 42
The Lady Wildcats were pleased to notch a victory in their season opener, they just weren't happy about the manner in which they got the win.
Meridian High jumped out to 29-15 halftime lead and never trailed in the game, but the Lady Wildcats committed 21 turnovers and 25 fouls in the game.
Meridian High was able to overcome its first-game miscues thanks to strong play from its front line. The Lady Wildcats outrebounded the Lady Cougars 34-16.
Sade Codes led the Lady Wildcats' offense with 14 points, and Whitney Hood scored 12. Kendra Harris scored a game-high 23 points for Livingston.
Meridian High continues its season against Clinton in the Wildcats' and Lady Wildcats' home opener on Saturday. The girls' game is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m., and the boys' game will follow.
