Wielding an extremely effective press, the Mineola Lady Jackets scored a decisive win, 62-30, over the visiting Rains Lady Cats last Tuesday.

The Lady Jackets led by 17 points after one quarter and ballooned that lead to 24 points by halftime.

Mineola broke open the game with 2:57 left in the first quarter. The score stood 8-4 when in quick succession Meghan Brewington hit consecutive 3-pointers, Jaiden Gardner and Jessiah Riley combined to create two Rains turnovers, and Sabria Dean found Tahjae Black with a backside pass to the low post.

In addition to the turnovers created by the Mineola press, the secondary effects caused to the Rains squad were telling. When the Lady Cats did cleanly break the press, they were disjointed or ill-positioned in the offensive zone. Lady Cat confidence was shaken and made a comeback impossible. 

The Lady Jackets were coming off a disappointing performance in a close loss to Edgewood and shook off that loss by simply moving their feet. Mineola focused the entire game. Most notably, their offensive performance matched their defensive pressure. Numerous well-executed assists saw eight Lady Jackets on the scorecard.

Sabria Dean led the Lady Jackets with 18 points and 6 assists. She was joined in double figures by Meghan Brewington who recorded 17 points.  Senior Tiara Stephens is becoming a force in the lane, just in time for the upcoming playoffs.