The Mineola Yellowjackets defeated the visiting Van Vandals last Tuesday 73-50. The game was an effective display of basketball from the home side, and how the game unfolded will likely become familiar for Yellowjacket faithful in the upcoming campaign. 

The Yellowjackets came out with pressure and tempo. The combination put the visitors on their heels, but as good teams do, the Vandals found their own pace and took a brief 10-9 lead.

Mineola promptly rattled off 11 straight points – mostly fed off of pressure and turnovers – and held a 20-12 lead at the break. The backcourt of Keke Martin and Ainsley Steward was clicking, while the inside game of Braydon Alley and Colton McMahon outmuscled the opponents.  

The Vandals were breathing hard at the break.

The Yellowjackets outscored the Vandals by four points in the second quarter. The relatively small point differential belies the fact that this second quarter was likely the best quarter of basketball played by Mineola this season. 

Martin scored on a drive and McMahon scored twice in the lane (after taking a charge) before an early time-out. Mineola came back to the floor into a four-corners offense. 

Two scoring drives and a sweet mid-range jumper from Steward forced a Van time-out. When play resumed, Mineola had called off their press. They weathered a brief surge by Van and went to half-time leading 36-22.

Both teams made plenty of adjustments at the half, but the consistent factor in the game was the ‘quick feet and quick hands’ of the Jackets. Defensively, Mineola is at mid-season proficiency. They have developed an oppressive man-to-man defense and play it without fouling.

After a frantic pace of play in the third quarter, Mineola was up by 15 points entering the fourth. Two artistic drives by Martin, two inbound play buckets and continued athletic moves by McMahon and Alley opened the spread between the teams. 

Braelyn Geremonte and Chance Williams, among others, put in excellent minutes, as the Jackets won the conditioning battle which is the fourth quarter. 

The Yellowjackets got in five games in three days during the Great East Texas Shootout Thursday through Saturday in Brownsboro.

The host team was up first and edged Mineola 42-36 on Thursday.

Friday Mineola got a buzzer-beater three from Steward to beat Community 51-50 and followed that up later in the day with a 66-50 win over Bullard.

The going got a little tougher on Saturday as the Yellowjackets fell to 5A Anna 56-38 and 4A Van Alstyne 75-49.

Mineola opens district play Tuesday, Dec. 19 against the visiting Winona Wildcats.