Meade, Kirby lead Blue Mountain’s balanced basketball attack

Blue Mountain’s Tyeirre Meade and Cohen Kirby are leading Blue Mountain’s approach on the hardwood as the Eagles look to find their identity early in the season.

The Eagles lost their season opener against Southern Lehigh on Monday.

“We want to win a district and Schuylkill League title this season,” Meade said. “Playing with these guys is fun and overall we’re a close group on and off the court.”

Now the Eagles (0-1) get set for a Clash of 61 matchup at home against defending Schuylkill League Champion Pottsville on Thursday.

Meade, a senior, led the way for the Eagles with 25 points, including a pair of threes in the third quarter to go up 45-39 before Southern Lehigh made a fourth quarter rally.

“We’ve got to get better in close games and dealing with pressure in those situations,” Meade said. “We’ve just got to be smarter with the ball when the other team picks up the intensity.”

Kirby, in his sophomore year, cleaned up on the boards with five rebounds and drew a number of fouls under the basket before halftime and in the fourth quarter.

Meade leads the way for four Blue Mountain seniors, including Landon Miller, Evan Setlock and Sean Gaddy. Gaddy and Setlock are also manning important backcourt roles this season.

Dustin Werdt is in his 23rd season leading Blue Mountain. He guided the Eagles to a 12-11 overall record and an appearance in District 11 Class 4A quarterfinal last season.

“He thinks our defense or transition is best right now,” Meade said of the veteran coach. “Everything is just fun playing as a part of this team.”

The last time Blue Mountain’s boys won a District 11 Championship title was during the 2006-07 season. The Eagles finished 23-5 in 2023 before falling to Berks Catholic in the District 11 playoffs.

“After last season and a tough loss in districts the guys taught me stuff and we went into this season with confidence,” Kirby said. “We want to win as much as we can.

This season’s team envisions a backcourt led by Meade and Gaddy, with Kirby manning a younger frontcourt.

“As a team we could all come forward and lead a little more and that could be a key factor of our team with so many leaders this season,” Kirby said.

Other impact players include Setlock — who may be the Eagles best on-ball defender — as well as Beck Henninger who knocked down a trio of three’s against Southern Lehigh.

“We just need to be smart with the ball and get it to a scoring threat position where we can score and get the offense going,” Kirby said.

Meade most wants to perfect his shot selection and rebounding and achieve 1,000 career points by the end of his career.

Kirby most wants to improve his finishing, getting the ball to the hoop and doing the “dirty work” for the team.”

For now, the Eagles are working to compete with some of the other top teams in Division I, including Pottsville, Minersville, Panther Valley and Mahanoy Area.