Jackets dominate bidistrict

Posted 2/25/21

The Mineola Yellowjackets captured a bidistrict title with a comprehensive team performance Monday against the Hooks Hornets. The Yellowjackets were focused and disciplined in their 64-40 win.

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Jackets dominate bidistrict

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The Mineola Yellowjackets captured a bidistrict title with a comprehensive team performance Monday against the Hooks Hornets. The Yellowjackets were focused and disciplined in their 64-40 win.

Most impressive, against a quick Hooks side, was the determined defensive effort. Mineola stayed a step ahead of the Hornets all night. In terms of basketball spacing, the Jackets were often two steps ahead of their opponents in forecasting the next basketball moves at hand. 

The defensive effort demonstrated single-mindedness, court awareness and excellent preparation. The game may have been the best defensive effort of the season. 

Time and again, the Hooks guards were stymied as they attempted to find seams in the Jackets’ helping, man-to-man defense. The defensive effort exhausted the Hooks offense and allowed Mineola to clean up on the boards. 

Offensively, senior Jonah Fischer had one of his best games of the year. He pushed the ball relentlessly when given the slightest of gaps, but also exhibited the patience dictated by the game tempo. He recorded 14 points, dished five assists, took two charges and nicked the ball away from the Hornets at critical junctures.  

Fischer was joined in double figures by Dawson Pendergrass with 17 points, TJ Moreland 13 and Trevion Sneed 12.     

The Hornets had no answers for a Jacket team which was singularly focused on winning each possession of the game. 

After Mineola built a 21-7 lead, the body language of the Hooks side was telling. The Jackets left them without an effective plan. However, Mineola let the visitors back in the game by turning the ball over to them in the backcourt on two consecutive possessions. 

At the quarter break the score stood 23-13 – still very much a competitive game. 

Mineola used excellent offensive rebounding, wise shot selection and selfless play to increase the margin to 18 points, 37-19, at the halftime break. 

Nice inside play was featured in the third quarter. Pendergrass and Sneed had their way in the paint. They played smart inside basketball, using physicality when called for and smarts to get their shots off. 

There were many sequences of play worth mentioning, but three stand out. Early in the third period, Moreland received an inbound pass in the corner. His shot went astray. Consecutive offensive put backs by Fischer and Aidan Steward each failed to fall. Moreland secured the third rebound to put it in for a score. 

Moments later, Pendergrass took a pass at the high post, turned and found Sneed at the low post with a perfect pass. Sneed finished at the basket.

Also in that third quarter Fischer absorbed a whack to the chest as he advanced the ball over the midcourt line, accelerated past his defender, found a quiet spot beyond the 3-point arc and made the defender pay for his mistake with a 3-pointer.

No doubt, there were a handful of wasted possessions, and momentary lapses of concentration, but for a 32-minute performance, it was pretty complete. 

Mineola will face Jefferson in the area round playoff on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. at Spring Hill, the site of their bidistrict success in Longview.