The Mineola Yellowjackets got 32 minutes of non-stop sprint work conditioning during their 100-36 home win against Harmony last Friday. 

After jetting out to a quick 20-0 lead, the Yellowjackets demonstrated a few qualities which they will need in the run of, what everyone hopes will be, a long season. 

Most notably, the Jackets seem to have settled into their comfort zone when it comes to applying a pressurized half-court defense. Although Mineola has demonstrated a number of different defensive options in the season thus far, the pressurized half-court seems to suit them best. The team appears comfortable with it, and it taxes and wearies opponents.

Composure. Much is learned from any basketball game. Close games, big losses, big wins. One of those things usually on display during lopsided games is how well the team maintains its composure. It is a sign of maturity and confidence. 

The Yellowjackets never lost their composure. They played basketball. There were no excessive displays, nor any hint of taunting an opposing team which was clearly outgunned. Coach Steadman had them focused and surgical in their play. 

Discipline. The home side was whistled for their first personal foul with 5:02 remaining in the second quarter. This was despite an incredibly-fast tempo and great sequences at both ends of the court. The ability of a team to play hard without fouling is a prime indicator that the players understand their own abilities and how those abilities fit into a team.

All those qualities and much more will be tested against the Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill Red Devils. That contest, played earlier this week, was for preeminence in the district. Mineola travels to Winona Friday for their next district encounter.

The scoresheet against Harmony was crowded. Jonah Fischer led the Yellowjacket scorers with 30 points. TJ Moreland contributed 25, Jackson Anderson 13 and Dawson Pendergrass 12.  Andrew Stinchfield tallied eight points, while Stephen Ogueri and Aiden Steward each recorded six.

Observers noted it may have been Mineola’s first 100-point game since the early 1990s.