You can’t game-plan against hustle. That was the problem facing the Quitman Lady Bulldogs as they faced the Lady Jackets on Friday night. A hustling full-court press dismantled the Quitman attack and earned the Lady Jackets a 58-28 victory.

Of course it isn’t just hustle, a full-court press requires significant court awareness, a good sense of spacing, and an ability to recognize and close passing lanes. The Lady Jackets exercised those qualities throughout the contest.

Junior Jessiah Riley epitomized the effort of the Lady Jackets on the night. As usual she was the first one on the floor after any loose ball. This night she opened the scoring on the conversion of a turnover she forced, and followed that up with two free throws.

Quitman enjoyed some early success when they were able to get the ball inside and exploit their team height advantage. However their ability to move the ball into the forecourt limited the opportunities to score. A 6-6 game halfway through the opening quarter became 14–6 at the end of the first as Mineola forced nine Quitman turnovers in the opening stanza.

Second-quarter action saw both sides committed too many fouls in an effort to steal or possess the ball. Four minutes from intermission Sabria Dean found Tahjae Black on a long outlet pass and Black finished strong to make the score 20–7.

The Lady Jackets did get the offense rolling, mostly using baseline drives and mid-range jumpers. The three-point shots were attempted sparingly with the Lady Jackets converting on three from long range in the half. Effective free throw shooting contributed to a 36–12 lead at the break.

Mineola had built a 12–8 rebounding advantage in the first half and this trend continued in the second half. A combination of Mineola’s full-court pressure, aggressive driving to the basket, and rebounding wore down any Quitman resistance. The score ballooned to 44-13 after Riley completed a three-point play from the line. At the quarter break the Lady Jackets were up 53 – 18.

In addition to the teamwork demonstrated in the application of the full-court pressure, the performance of sophomore Jaiden Gardner was notable. Gardner was called upon to do much of Mineola’s ball handling in the second half, and despite not having much experience, she more than met the challenge.

For Mineola Riley had 14 points including 10-11 free throws while Dean added 12 points. Quitman was led by a pair of freshmen with Rainey Luman and Ava Burroughs each netting seven points.

Quitman was home Tuesday against Lone Oak and has a bye Friday. Mineola had an important contest with Grand Saline Tuesday at home and will be on the road at Edgewood on Friday.