Beal City, MI - The Meridian Mustangs defense restricted the Roscommon Bucks to 12 points through the final 24 minutes en route to a 37-26 win in the Regional Final.
Meridian senior Halen McLaughlin had 25 points in the game. She hit five three-pointers and seven points from the free-throw line.
Roscommon led 14-11 through the first eight minutes. Threes were flowing for both sides, McLaughlin made two, totaling nine points in the frame. Bucks junior Zoey Kauffman led her squad with eight, two from deep.
In the second quarter, Roscommon scored two points, with no shots made from the field. Meridian clogged up the lanes, with a prowling 3-2 zone. The Mustangs had a 9-2 advantage in the quarter, and McLaughlin added two more triples. Meridian forced Bucks sophomore Nemiah Carper into foul trouble, she racked up three.
The Mustangs took a four-point halftime lead and never relinquished it. After playing +1 in the third quarter, they took the reigns in the fourth. The lead grew to nine with a McLaughlin drive through traffic with 3:50 to go.
Nemiah Carper would foul out with 4:30 remaining, and the Bucks would be held to two points in the fourth. Their only bucket came with 1:25 left. Alexis Carper, the other Roscommon inside option went 4-for-6 at the free throw line with her touches limited throughout the game.
For the Mustangs, first-year Lily LaFave hit two layups in the second half, and senior Sydney Crowder went 2-for-2 from the line, both finished with four points.
Tonight's full game archive is available here.
Rounding Things Out
In his sixth season, Head Coach Tanner Smith will have Meridian play in their first-ever state quarterfinal. The Mustangs went 3-16 in 2018-19, the year before his arrival.
Up Next
Our next high school broadcast will be Tuesday, March 18th, the State Quarterfinal at Houghton Lake High School. Meridian will play Calumet. Our coverage will start at 6:50 pm.
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