On Tuesday, Feb. 24, the Meridian Girls Basketball team lost to the Skyline Hawks 52-47 in a dramatic region semifinal finish. With the loss, the Mustangs’ season and hopes of a playoff run were ended. 

Late in the 4th quarter, the Mustangs found themselves chasing a Skyline lead. Despite numerous shots from the three-point line, the Mustangs struggled to get shots to fall, resulting in a narrow loss. 

“Our team played to the very last buzzer and we gave ourselves a chance to win… [we] should not hang our heads,” head coach Chris Carrico stated when commenting on the difficult loss.

The Mustangs’ tough playoff loss was preceded by an action-packed season full of roller coaster contests. 

Despite the bitter ending, the girls had their fair share of highs throughout the season, including two dominant wins over Manassas Park, 85-7, and 91-6, along with a dramatic overtime win over James Madison, proving their resilience.

“Finishing 19-3 and being the #1 seed in the region is a great accomplishment,” coach Carrico said.

The season was also highlighted by strong season performances from Junior Charlotte Lieu and Sophomore Bridget Creed. 

Both Lieu and Creed earned first-team all district honors due to their season successes. Lieu averaged 15.8 points per game and Creed averaged 6.7 rebounds and 10.6 points per game. Their leadership on the court this year proved to be the driving force in the Mustangs’ offensive success.

While Lieu and Creed will return, the three seniors who led the team throughout the season – Anisa Frey, Claire Weatherly and Zoe Gale – will be sorely missed. 

As for returning players for next season, coach Carrico believes the experience from this season will result in improvement next year. 

“Goals should always be to grow and learn and experience allows for this,” coach Carrico said.

The girls will hope to continue their success from this year into next season, and use this year’s playoff experience as motivation for next year.