ARLEY, Ala.- Meek High School’s basketball arena was packed wall-to-wall on Thursday night, as hundreds gathered in spite of a tornado watch to see a clash of 1A giants and area rivals in Meek (8-1) and Addison (6-3). The matchup didn’t disappoint. The teams traded haymakers in a gritty back and forth battle that went into overtime. In the end, the Tigers’ defense helped seal a 56-53 Meek win highlighted by a 22 point, five rebound, three assist and two steal game from senior guard Colman Bonner.
“It’s always going to be tough to play them, it’s been back and forth with us and Addison for the last couple of years. Coach Lane’s going to do a really good job with that group. Coach Lane knows what we’re going to do… and we sort of know what they’re going to do. They’re really athletic, both teams have really great kids and it just happened to fall our way tonight,” Meek head coach Bryan Woods said after the game.
In a game that saw numerous shifts of momentum, the first quarter was characterized by just that. A 10-0 stretch by Addison had them up 12-4, but then a big three from the Tigers’ Brady Baxter spurred a run of their own. It would go well into the 2nd quarter, with Meek going on a 13-2 run behind three buckets from Colman and the do-it-all guard Evan McCay, who finished the game with 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
“Preparing for a rivalry game like this is very different. It’s difficult because you’re trying to tweak things, but also preaching ‘don’t change, just play your game’ and that can be a mind game. I think it got to us early and that’s why we came out a little flat,” Woods said.
It would take even longer for both teams to even out. Rounding out the first half, Addison countered with a 9-3 stretch behind a couple deep balls from guard Joey Wilson to put the Bulldogs up 26-23 at the break.
The third quarter saw a much more balanced game, as the long score streaks were replaced with back and forth body blows by each team. Despite that, Meek found themselves down 33-25 midway through the third quarter. Momentum shifted the Tigers’ way with a highlight-reel sequence where Bonner, who was mid-air driving for a layup, found a wide open Baxter for an easy score.
It culminated with a McCay three to tie the game back up at 41 with a few seconds to go in the third and momentum on their side. While the fans were still standing and cheering, Addison’s Elijah Roberts went down for an acrobatic layup that would result in an and-one attempt, which he’d hit, quieting the crowd. Again, Meek found themselves down at the end of the third, 44-41.
In the final period, Meek saw a slow crawl into the lead, with a McCay three and a Briley Bowling layup putting them ahead 50-47 with under a minute and a half to go. Then, Addison’s Roberts made the shot to extend the game from beyond the arc, sending the teams into overtime tied at 50.
Bringing the game full circle, Meek closed on a run. Addison’s only basket in overtime came on a layup from Roberts, who finished the game with 12 points, two rebounds, five assists and four steals. Of Meek’s six overtime points, a couple came from huge free throw attempts from forward Parker Ferguson, who had to exit the game early with an ankle injury. He returned, finished with four points, eight rebounds, an assist and a block, and Woods said he fought through the injury and played so well that he didn’t think they’d have pulled out the win without him.
Meek returns to action on Friday vs Carbon Hill.
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