Lydia Meredith wills Portland St. Patrick past Fowler once again in matchup of state's best

FOWLER – Lydia Meredith was not going to be denied in overtime.

Not by Fowler’s defense. Not by the Eagles’ all-state players. Not by anybody.

Not on Tuesday, anyway.

All eyes were on the showdown between the two top-ranked teams in Division 4, No. 1 Portland St. Patrick and No. 2 Fowler, the defending state champions. And after 32 minutes wasn’t enough to decide things, Meredith put the Shamrocks on her back to make sure they didn’t suffer their first loss of the season.

Meredith scored a game-high 38 points, 13 coming in overtime, to lead St. Patrick past the Eagles for the second time this season, 58-51.

“Oh my God, (the win) means everything,” Meredith said. “I’ve wanted this for so long, I’m so happy that we could all come together. Our team played such good defense. I’m so proud of all of them that we could do it again and prove it.

“I knew that it would come down to doing the little things, so I knew that free throws would matter. I just focused on making free throws and letting the game come to me. I knew I had to step up in this game, so that’s what I did.”

Meredith was 9-for-9 from the line in the extra session and 17-for-22 for the game. It was her ability to get into the lane and draw contact that got her to the free-throw line, and to convert a three-point play in OT that would put St. Patrick on track for the win.

With the Shamrocks leading 46-44, Meredith drove the lane once again, got knocked down once again, and her shot trickled in as she slapped the floor in celebration with her hand after a loud eruption from the St. Patrick faithful. She calmly made her free throw to give St. Patrick a 49-44 lead with 1:47 to play.

“Honestly, I didn’t even know it went in until everyone was going crazy,” Meredith said. “I was just focused on finishing at the rim like I have been, and I knew I would draw a foul. It was just luck, I guess.”

Meredith finished with a double-double, adding 12 rebounds and five assists. Katelyn Russell contributed six points and eight rebounds.

Fowler (11-2, 8-2 CMAC) had chances to win the game. The Eagles showed their state-championship-winning mentality, rallying from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter and taking a 42-40 lead with 1:22 to go on a basket by Grace Ekpey.

Meredith came right back down to score with 60 seconds on the clock to tie it at 42-42. Fowler could’ve taken the lead with 5.6 seconds left in regulation, but Emma Riley missed two free throws.

“(Meredith) waits for big moments and really did the job for us at the (free-throw) line,” said St. Patrick coach Al Schrauben. “She just wouldn’t let us lose tonight. Just an awesome effort, and defensively, all the kids did what they needed to do. Just a great win for us.”

Epkey did her part to keep Fowler in the game, scoring 10 points of her 12 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

“Grace is such a hard worker. I was really happy for her,” said Fowler coach Nathan Goerge. “Sometimes she doesn’t necessarily score a lot of points for us. She’s a very capable player and she’s deserving of that second half she had.”

Emma Riley led Fowler with 15 points, 10 coming in the first quarter, and Mia Riley scored 11.

St. Patrick (14-0, 10-0 CMAC) won the first matchup with Fowler, 53-49, back in mid-December, a game where Meredith only scored 12 points and was led by Russell’s 19 points. On Fowler’s trek to the state championship a year ago, the Shamrocks were the only team to lose by less than 22 points, falling by 12 in the district championship game.

That game appears to have been a sign of success for the Shamrocks this season, who are now on track to win the CMAC for the first time in quite a while.

St. Patrick and Fowler may be the two best teams in D4, and unfortunately for both, they’re in the same district, meaning a third matchup would happen early in the state tournament.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt we’re two of the top five teams in the state. I’m not sure (Fowler and St. Patrick) are not 1 and 2, and I’m not sure who’s 1 and who’s 2,” Schrauben said. “We had two incredible games with them and very happy to get out of here with a win.”

Despite the two losses to St. Patrick, Goerge has complete confidence in his team and doesn’t expect Tuesday’s setback to keep the Eagles down long.

“We just need to clean some things up, eliminate some of the silly mistakes,” Goerge said. “We’re going to be fine. We’re a pretty veteran group, so nothing really is going to catch them off guard. It’s just locking in and knowing what we need to do to take care of ourselves.”

Contact digital sports reporter Phil Friend at 517-377-1220 or pfriend@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Phil_Friend.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Lydia Meredith leads No. 1 Portland St. Patrick past No. 2 Fowler