FERNDALE — It may not have been pretty, but Meridian earned its first Northwest Conference win of the season.
In a game that wound up closer than the early going forecasted, the Trojans took down Ferndale 48-42 on the road Monday night. Meridian found a way to win in a bounce-back game, having lost to a talented Sehome team by three points four days earlier.
“You’re not going to be able to win ugly too much in this league,” Meridian coach Shane Stacy said. “We were able to tonight.”
There’s a different feeling around this Trojans team in 2022. Meridian finished 6-13 last season, unable to make it out of districts. Now, they are competing with top teams and scrounging up points late to seal wins.
“Ever since that game [against Sehome], our practices, this game right now, we’ve just been firing on all cylinders,” said Meridian senior forward Hunter Jones, who totaled a game-high 14 points. “We’ve just got to bring the energy.”
Meridian raced out to a 14-4 lead in the first quarter, locking down the paint and forcing Ferndale into tough perimeter shots. On the other end, the Trojans were getting nearly everything they wanted near the basket.
Succumbing to the Trojans’ full-court press, curbing turnovers was difficult for the Golden Eagles as they surrendered multiple buckets on fast breaks in the opening period. Ferndale finished with 22 total giveaways in the game.
The Golden Eagles entered the second quarter trailing 14-7, but they began showing signs of life near the end of the period.
Trailing 19-8 early in the second quarter, Ferndale mounted a 12-4 run that narrowed Meridian’s lead to just three. Senior guard Devyn Smith ignited the crowd on a lay-in towards the end of the run, followed by a steal at the other end and a fastbreak layup from junior forward Kevin Woods.
Meridian got the last score of the first half on a finger roll through the teeth of the Ferndale defense by Jones. The Trojans led 25-20 at halftime.
“I was really proud of Hunter Jones tonight,” Stacy said. “He’s put together a great season so far for us, with his energy — [he’s] just consistent, so athletic. He brings that athleticism every night.”
Ferndale scored the first six points of the third quarter, taking its first lead of the game at 26-25. Meridian, however, centered itself and rattled off a quick 10-4 run of its own, highlighted by some key points in the paint and mid-range jumpers by sophomores Jaeger Fyfe and Talon Jenkins.
An elbow 3-pointer by Ferndale senior forward Lucas Mills made it 35-32 with 5:57 remaining in the game, injecting some energy back into the Golden Eagles’ bench and fans.
Fyfe came right back with a pair of free throws to push the lead back to five, but Ferndale senior forward Damien Toney responded with his first two points of the game at the other end.
A travel on Meridian gave the Golden Eagles the ball back trailing by three, and Toney was fouled. He hit one-of-two free throws to make it 37-35.
Jones and Fyfe each picked up quick baskets, pushing Meridian’s lead back to six with 2:50 to play. Ferndale sent Jenkins to the line with 1:20 remaining, drilling both, followed by two more on the next possession to make it 44-35 with 40 seconds remaining.
Mills and Ferndale junior guard Bhavnoor Grewal hit late shots to make things interesting, but Meridian held on late for the win.
The Golden Eagles, who are now 0-5 overall and 0-3 in NWC games, graduated nine seniors at the end of last season, and have a new lineup learning how to play with one another.
“I’ve got 11 kids that have never played varsity basketball,” Ferndale coach Jason Owens said. “They’re learning the game, they’re competing and they’re fighting.”
Jenkins added 11 points for Meridian, while Fyfe dropped in nine. Senior forward Tyrel Brooks totaled six, all in the first half.
Ferndale was led by Mills, who finished with 10 points, while Grewal added nine and Woods drained seven.
Meridian moved to 3-2 overall on the season and 1-2 in NWC games. The Trojans will host Lynden (1-0, 1-0 NWC) at 7:15 p.m. on Dec. 16. Ferndale is at Glacier Peak (3-1, 1-0 WESCO) — a 4A team — at 7:15 p.m. on Dec. 16.
“We held a team that just dropped 65 on Sehome to [48] points,” Owens said. “These guys are doing exactly what I’ve asked them to do. We wall up, we make people have to finish.”
