[Raymond, MS] The Meridian Flyers notched a huge conference win as they edged out the Muddy River Counselors 75-71 on the road.
The Meridian Flyers were coming off an off night on the road against the Grace Christian Eagles. They were then looking to get back on track, especially for a huge conference game against the Counselors.
The Counselors were coming off a 1-2 trip to the Cross-State Classic in Arkansas. Their last game being a narrow loss against the Saline County Warriors.
The Flyers started off getting big man Isaiah Davis going early, as he finished off the opening period with 12 points. The Counselors got Chris Purnell involved early and were able to keep high-scoring Elliot Tulip in check, holding him to 4 in the first quarter, but the Flyers were up 9 after the first, 24-15.
The Counselors began to make a dent in the Flyers lead in the second, with Sun Michael Williams and Caleb Sanders really getting going. Sanders had 12 in the second quarter and Williams rattled 3 three pointers in the period. Yet, Meridian held onto a five-point 44-39 halftime lead.
The third quarter belonged to the Counselors. Muddy River got going with a King Williams three pointer. After that, Muddy River went on a tear. The Counselors went on a 9-0 run, taking the lead. Then they finished out the third quarter with a 64-61 lead.
In the final period, the Flyers buckled down. Meridian slowly but surely took the lead and then held onto a four point lead for three minutes of game time. The Counselors went cold and the Flyers did not let them get anything at the basket. The Flyers held a 73-69 lead with 42 seconds remaining and they had the ball. The Counselors pesky defense forced a turnover and Luke Sanders finished the layup on the other end, cutting the lead to two. The Counselors forced another turnover when Ethan Russel threw it over the head of Peyton Mitchell. So, with 22 seconds to play, Muddy River had the ball down 2.
Coming out of a timeout, the Counselors got the ball around and Chris Purnell fed it into King Williams. Williams made a drive and got a turn around fade away he is known for, but it popped in and out. Meridian secured the rebound and were able to make free throws at the other end, sealing the deal.
The Meridian Flyers were led by star-studded performances from Isaiah Davis and Elliot Tulip. Davis finished with 27 and Tulip finished with 25.
For the Counselors, Sun Michael Williams finished the game off with 21 points on five three pointers, and Caleb Sanders put in 18. Unfortunately for the Counselors, Sanders had to sit for a few minutes with a cramp. He returned to the ball game, but mentioned after the game that he could still feel it when he returned.
The Meridian Flyers (4-5)[2-1] hold onto the #3 spot in the MSAHA standings and will host the Russell Christian Warriors at home on Dec. 2. The Muddy River Counselors (2-5)[1-3] dip to the #5 spot in the MSAHA and will host the Tupelo Titans on Dec. 4.
