Wildcats capture 7A State Championship
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The Meridian High Wildcats became the first MHSAA Boys’ 7A State Basketball champions with a thrilling 54-50 win over the Clinton Arrows on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at the Mississippi Coliseum.
This marked the MHS’ first state championship since 2017 and fourth in team history for the Wildcats, who finished the season (24-9).
MHS jumped out to 17-9 lead after one quarter of play and led 29-20 at halftime.
The Arrows outscored the Wildcats by six points in the 3rd quarter to make it a 3-point Wildcat lead 37-34, going into the final quarter.
Clinton took a 45-42 lead late in the fourth quarter, but MHS’ Javion Yarbrough scored the next six points to give the Wildcats at 49-42 advantage with 1:38 remaining in the contest.
MHS’ Jordan Jones made two key free throws after the Arrows narrowed the lead to two points to seal the victory for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats’ Yarbrough led all scorers with 28 points on 8/11 shooting in over 29 minutes of play. Jones (14) and Dantwaine Johnson (10) also scored in double figures for MHS.