The Mineola Lady Jackets came to the court ready and focused for their second district meeting with the Mount Vernon Lady Tigers last Tuesday. Despite a closely-played first half, the Lady Tigers opened an 11-point margin and pulled away from the Lady Jackets for a 65-38 win.

Mineola played aware, team basketball in the opening quarter. Jayden Gardner and Kapri Riley each hit early 3-pointers. Macy Fischer made three free throws and Mylee Fischer recorded a 3-pointer to tie the game at 12 late in the opening quarter. 

The Lady Tigers then unleashed their own long-range shooters. They hit on four 3-pointers in the second quarter and took an 11-point lead into the halftime break. 

Mount Vernon had no intention of letting Mineola back in the game in the second half. They opened the half on a 6-0 run and built a winning margin. Mixing in their outside shooting with an ever-present push to get the ball inside, the Lady Tigers scored at will. They put in 21 points in the third quarter and 17 in the final quarter. 

As the game drew into the final stages, the Lady Jackets struggled to get the ball out of their zone.

As there has been each game this year, there were glimpses of excellent basketball from the Lady Jackets throughout the game. One of those moments came in Mineola’s last score of the night, when Catherine McLemore put in a lay-up on a perfectly-executed inbound play from underneath the goal. 

The Lady Jackets complete their district schedule hosting Chapel Hill Fri. Feb. 5, after playing at Harmony Tuesday.