Lady Jackets open district with a win

Posted 12/23/21

It’s always good to get that first district win.

The Mineola Lady Jackets traveled to Winona Tuesday and came home with a 67-32 win over the Ladycats.

The game was notable for several …

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Lady Jackets open district with a win

Posted

It’s always good to get that first district win.

The Mineola Lady Jackets traveled to Winona Tuesday and came home with a 67-32 win over the Ladycats.

The game was notable for several reasons. Although the Lady Jackets had some bad possessions, they are beginning to click on offense. Ball movement and decision-making in the front court have improved markedly since the season start.

Perhaps the most welcome improvement, however, is the growing confidence of the team around the basket. The hesitation once the ball is within ten feet of the basket is disappearing. The Lady Jackets are continuing to drive confidently and beginning to immediately shoot the ball from the post position without putting the ball on the floor.

These characteristics showed throughout the Winona game. Despite only a mediocre night shooting from the outside, Mineola still managed to put up 67 points. This was largely due to their growing confidence around the basket – from their offensive sets as well as when turning the ball over on the press.

That Lady Jacket press figured significantly in the win. In the first quarter alone, Mineola forced nine Winona turnovers. Most of those turnovers translated directly to scores. Mineola called off the press in the second half – leading 33-18 – and applied pressure to the Ladycat guards at the center court for the balance of the game. 

Winona gave the Lady Jackets a great test of their press. They often broke the press on the dribble with sheer speed. Mineola adjusted and did a good job minimizing the effect on the game. 

The secondary effect of a hounding press is building frustration in opponents. The game provided a great example of this, as the exhausting effort of breaking the Mineola press led to tired legs for the Ladycats. Tired legs often result in fouling, and the Ladycats were whistled early and often.

The Lady Jackets started slowly but generated good shots from the outset. They built a 19-9 lead after one quarter and benefited greatly from forcing early Winona turnovers.  

All 10 Lady Jackets registered in the scorecard, with Kyra Jackson leading the way with 13 points. Mylee and Macy Fischer each also scored in double figures. 

The third quarter effort was excellent. Mineola put up 21 points, scoring in all ways possible. Two offensive rebound put-backs and scores by six Lady Jackets stretched the lead. 

Multiple line-up combinations were used by Coach Alan Wilson with no degradation in performance.    

On two specific sequences, the Lady Jackets won the ball (and scored off the turnovers) simply because they wanted the ball more. Early in the game, Ava Johnson used her leaping ability to create a turnover on the press resulting in a score. In the second quarter dogged defense by Gracie Finley created a turnover at mid-court which resulted in a Jayla Jackson score, while in the third quarter Macy Fischer stole the ball in the backcourt, out-competed her opponent for possession and scored on a contested lay-up.    

These passages of play were indicative of an engaged and committed team.

The Lady Jackets hosted Quitman last Friday and played at Winnsboro Monday. They will next have their sights set on the Mineola Classic tournament Dec. 28-29.