Meridian pulled away in the second half to beat the Oak Harbor High School boys basketball team 51-41 Friday, Dec. 30, in Laurel.

The Trojans (3-6) led 9-8 after one quarter of the non-league game, then the Wildcats took an 18-17 lead at halftime.

“We played great defense in the first half, unfortunately we missed a lot of easy opportunities on the offensive side so we went into halftime with only a one-point lead,” Oak Harbor coach John Weston said. “We should have been up by more.”

Meridian made some adjustments at halftime, Weston said, that helped “their offense get going.”

“We gave up too many easy looks at the basket and offensive boards,” Weston said.

The Wildcats were also hurt by turnovers. Meridian converted 17 Oak Harbor mistakes into 18 points, while the Wildcats scored only 4 points off 12 Trojan turnovers.

“I was happy with the way Haven Brown attacked the hoop; we need him to continue to be more aggressive on the offensive end,” Weston said. “I was also really pleased with the energy and hustle JJ Mitchell brought; he was a great spark off the bench.”

Brown, a sophomore, had a team high 11 points and seven rebounds.

Gabe Salinger and Adam Nelson had 7 points each, Mitchell 5, Weston Whitefoot 4, Justin Ellison 3, Ozell Jackson 2 and Gavin Allen 2.

Salinger, Nelson and Allen had two assists; Salinger and Ellison collected two steals; and Nelson took three charges.

Camden Burges scored 17 points for the Trojans.

Oak Harbor (0-2, 2-7) goes to Shorewood (0-2, 0-10) at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, for a conference game, then hosts first-place Stanwood (2-0, 9-1) at 7:15 p.m Thursday, Jan. 5.

Justin Ellison fires up a jumper for the Wildcats. (Photo by John Fisken)

JJ Mitchell scrambles to control a loose ball. Mitchell was praised by coach John Weston for his effort in the game. (Photo by John Fisken)

Gabe Salinger attracts a crowd as he heads to the basket. (Photo by John Fisken)