Holiday basketball is quite a treat. Teams get a chance to mix it up with a variety of foes, usually teams seldom faced. That makes for some great competition as teams are forced to react to another’s strengths and weaknesses with very little preparation. 

While the Yellowjackets boys squad did not have any games on the schedule Thanksgiving week, the Lady Jackets were in Martin’s Mill competing in the Turkey Tussle. 

The organizers at Martin’s Mill do a great job bringing talented teams from near and far together for their match-play tournament. On Monday the Lady Jackets faced the Lipan Indians, a team which travelled to Martin’s Mill from west of the Brazos River. 

Mineola got off to a fast start opening a 9-2 lead. Lipan regained its composure, and the first quarter ended with the score 15-15. 

Lipan started the second quarter still pressing full court – to their great advantage – and pressuring the perimeter with their man-to-man defense. The relentless pressure fueled a 16-point quarter for the team from Hood County, while it frustrated the Lady Jackets at every turn.

At the half, the score stood 32-16, Lipan.

The second half was a continuation of the state of play in the second quarter. Lipan continued to shoot an excellent percentage, while the Lady Jackets could not sustain their productivity. Mineola fell 52-34.  

The Lady Jackets faced the Pineywoods Community Academy, a charter school from Lufkin, the following day, but likewise came up short 56-31. 

Also soaking up the competition last week at Martin’s Mill were the Quitman Bulldogs. After dropping a close game to Frankston, 41-36, the Bulldogs faced  the Martinsville Pirates. 

Quitman enjoyed a significant height advantage but were decimated by the high shooting percentage of the Pirates. 

For most of the game, Martinsville played in the offensive zone without a post – they simply put five players on the perimeter and moved the ball around the perimeter until the ball movement freed-up one of the five. They all could shoot 3-pointers.

At the half, Quitman was down by 17. 

Martinsville was also skilled at finishing. They employed a quickly-reacting zone defense and transitioned smoothly on turnovers and rebounds. Their finishing at the basket – always under Quitman pressure – was nearly flawless. 

Martinsville took the game 59-36. 

The Quitman girls were busy prior to Thanksgiving at the Edgewood Tourney. There, they posted a 1-2 record, falling to Melissa and Edgewood before chalking up a 31-29 win over Palestine. 

The Alba-Golden varsity squads opted for stand-alone contests early in Thanksgiving week. The Panthers were bested by the Troup Tigers, 49-38, while the Lady Panthers staged a huge rally to record a come-from-behind victory over the visiting Harmony Lady Eagles. 

A very cold shooting hand in the first half put the Lady Panthers behind at the halftime break by 11 points. Frustration was evident as the team generated great looks at the basket throughout the first half, but shots just did not fall. 

The Lady Panthers did, however, out-hustle and out-compete the Lady Eagles throughout the game. That hustle paid off in the second half when the Lady Panthers turned the game around. They dominated the rebounding and turnover battles in the third quarter. After three quarters Harmony held a 1-point edge 35-34.

On the initial possession of the final quarter, Alba-Golden forced Harmony into a backcourt violation. It set the stage for the entire fourth quarter. 

With five minutes left to play, it was an amazing sequence from the Lady Panthers which secured the game. Kalli Trimble scored on back-to-back steals. She and teammate Joecey Lewers hit consecutive 3-pointers. Alexis Wilmut scored an inside bucket off of an inbound play and added four free throws down the stretch.  

The surge was the best basketball yet played by the Lady Panthers this season. The total team effort earned them a 50-42 win.