By By Rocky Higginbotham/The Meridian Star
Dec. 16, 2000
With the graduation of shooting stars Derrick Houston and Sammie Cole, this year's group of Meridian High Wildcats were supposed to rely on Ricky Hood to bomb away from the outside.
But when Hood left with his father for Tupelo, it put the load on the shoulders of junior Quadrick Griffin, who answered the call with a game-winning three-pointer in the season-opener at Noxubee County.
Since then, however, Griffin's highlights have been few and far between. At least until Friday night, that is.
Griffin gave Meridian a comfortable lead with 21 of his team-best 23 points in the first three quarters of play, and the host Wildcats held off Northeast Lauderdale 82-73 to repeat as champions in the 2000 Frazier-Yarbrough Memorial/Coca-Cola Classic.
The win was the fifth in a row for the Wildcats, who are now 11-4 on the season. Northeast, which was beaten by 18 points in its first meeting with Meridian this season, fell to 8-4.
Noxubee County took the boys' consolation final Friday afternoon, beating Choctaw Central 77-58.
Meridian High boys 82, Northeast Lauderdale 73: Griffin was in double digits before halftime and added a couple of NBA-range three-pointers in the third quarter to give Meridian control of Friday's championship contest.