The Mineola Lady Jackets got revenge from a district opening loss to Quitman with a solid 40-26 win over the Lady Bulldogs last Tuesday at Mineola. 

The game was close when Quitman senior Kaysi Parker scored with 3:30 left in the game cutting the Mineola lead to 32-26. From there, the Mineola defense did not allow Quitman to score while the Lady Jackets went 8-8 from the free throw line. Mylee Fischer and Kyra Jackson each made four free throws in those final minutes. 

The game started slow with Mineola leading 7-4 after the first quarter. The Lady Jackets hit on 5-10 free throws and had one bucket by Mylee Fischer. Parker had all four of the Lady Bulldogs’ points.

The second quarter found the teams battling back and forth. Mineola opened a 10-4 lead on a bucket from Mylee Fischer and a free throw by Paris Spigner. Quitman’s Addie Marcee hit a triple with 3:23 left in the quarter knotting the score at 12-12. The Lady Jackets came right back on a triple by Jayla Jackson to take a 15-12 edge. 

Quitman took a 16-15 advantage on buckets by Allie Berry and Kaylee Wood. Mineola came back on a basket and free throw by Macy Fischer with three seconds left in the half to take an 18-16 lead at intermission.

Another defensive battle ensued in the third quarter with the Lady Jackets scoring eight points to just four for the Lady Bulldogs, giving Mineola a 26-20 lead going into the final quarter. After Quitman’s Berry tied the game at 18-18 with a pair of free throws, Kyra Jackson hit a triple and Mylee Fischer had a steal and score to give the Lady Jackets a 23-18 lead. 

Another triple, this time by Jayla Jackson with 1:12 remaining in the quarter, gave Mineola a 26-20 lead after three quarters.

Quitman’s Berry brought Quitman within 27-22 with 5:06 to play but that was as close as the Lady Bulldogs would get in the county rivalry game. Kyra Jackson scored nine of Mineola’s 14 fourth quarter points on a field goal, a triple and 4-4 from the charity stripe. After Parker’s basket cut the Mineola lead to 32-26, the Lady Jackets went into a slow down on offense for the final three minutes, when they hit the 8-8 free throws.

The Lady Jackets were led by Kyra Jackson who hit for 12 points, all in the second half. Mylee Fischer added eight and Macy Fischer scored seven. For Quitman, Berry had 10 points and Parker added seven.

Mineola and Quitman are trying to make it to the state playoffs, battling for the fourth and final spot. Winnsboro and Mt. Pleasant Chapel Hill are state-ranked followed by Mt. Vernon.