The Winnsboro Lady Raiders play basketball at a different level. They continue to systematically dispatch all district competition. 

On the season the Lady Raiders have five losses: three 6A schools, one 4A school and a team at a tournament in Arkansas.

The Lady Raiders have high sights set for the season. The techniques they employ are tough to combat. In first quarter action last Tuesday in Mineola, the Lady Raiders busted off a 25-0 point run. Ten of those points were as a direct result of full court press turnovers.

What makes the Winnsboro press so effective is their ability to double team and at times triple team the ball-handler in the back court. Those double and triple teams mean that the opposition has open players somewhere. Hence, the contest is whether Winnsboro can turn the ball over before the opposition can get the ball to the open players. 

Their court awareness and anticipation ensure that Winnsboro wins the majority of those contests.

The other noteworthy aspect to Winnsboro’s game is that the majority of their points are scored on lay-ups. While full-court press turnovers are often easily translated into lay-ups, scoring on drives against a set defense is tough. Yet Winnsboro is able to penetrate defenses for lay-in at a rate rarely seen in high school basketball. 

Scoring 81 points on Mineola last Tuesday in an 81-32 win, it may also be assumed that Winnsboro is simply a great 3-point shooting team. Surprisingly, the Lady Raiders made only six 3-pointers. 

Winnsboro wins with an exceptionally well-coordinated full court press, dominance inside the paint and aggressive offensive play.

The Lady Jackets likely anticipated a tough night against a team that should be headed to Austin this spring. There were, however, bright spots for Mineola.  

The team learns at every turn of the game. After being decimated in the first half, the Lady Jackets made adjustments and came out with renewed purpose in the second half. They realized some effectiveness as well, especially on offensive. 

Alia Freeman continues to develop in limited action and converted two baskets on great assists from Kyra Jackson and Kapri Riley. The team also began to shake off reluctance to shoot jump shots as the game wore on.   

Mineola is working to secure a playoff spot this week – they require one win in their final two games. They host Harmony Friday and close out district play Feb. 8 at Chapel Hill.