The Mineola Yellowjackets found a way to win last Tuesday in Harmony, carving out a 59-55 victory over the Eagles.

Their offensive schemes that use motion, rapid ball-movement and cutting, are gelling in the early stages of district play.

After getting up 9-4, the defense yielded 11 of the next 12 points, and it sat 15-13 in favor of Harmony after eight minutes.

Things started to click in the second quarter, but the Jackets felt the absence of junior forward Dawson Pendergrass as they struggled on the defensive boards, resulting in many extra looks at the basket for the Eagles and forfeited fast-break chances.

The game drew square at 21-21 with 4:20 in the half and Mineola pushed ahead through the period.

Possessing the ball and a three-point lead, Mineola took timeout with 12 seconds left. The play call concluded with a perfectly-lobbed pass from T.J. Moreland to a slashing Braydon Alley, fittingly finishing the half with an alley-oop for two and a 29-24 edge.

The Yellowjackets held serve in the third quarter, getting up by as many as nine before letting Harmony back in and returning to a five-point margin after three, 39-34.

It was the relentless defensive determination demanded by head coach Ryan Steadman that kept things afloat at times, including some solid trapping by Hunter Vandover and Xzavien Lipscomb up front.

Threes by Moreland and Lipscomb to start the fourth put Mineola ahead by nine again, and they wouldn’t allow any less than a six-point cushion until the final bucket.

A sharp, no-look pass by Lipscomb to a cutting Alley started a streak of scoring for Alley, who had nine in the quarter on several such backdoor dishes, to pull the Jackets away from the Eagles, 57-46.

Harmony got back to within four points with three seconds remaining and called timeout.

Out of the huddle, one would be forgiven if they mistook Mineola’s inbound play for a deep post route, as Moreland heaved a pass deep to Lipscomb, something Yellowjacket football fans have witnessed many times on the gridiron. Though he was unable to secure the ball, Lipscomb did touch it before it went out of bounds with two seconds left, making the Eagles bring the ball full-court to get off a final shot, which fell flat for Harmony.

The Yellowjackets picked up a key district win Friday, defeating Chapel Hill 53-47. The victory left Mineola, Winnsboro and Chapel Hill each with one district loss.

Chapel Hill threatened to win going away in the early minutes, but Mineola fought back to make it a game by halftime. After a tight third quarter, the Jackets managed a small working margin and made the plays needed to secure the win.

Junior T.J. Moreland was honored after the game for reaching 1,000 points scored during his career.

Mineola hosted Winona Tuesday and will complete the first half of district play Friday at Quitman.