The Mineola Yellowjackets defeated Sunnyvale and fell to Royse City on Thursday in the Great East Texas Shootout basketball tournament in Brownsboro before meeting the Henderson Lions in the first round of bracket play Friday morning.

Coach Ryan Steadman was adamant that his players get back on defense and consistently implored them to apply “ball pressure” guarding the Lions. They did, which kept Henderson’s ball handlers off balance.

It was perhaps the Jackets’ best defensive effort of the season, Steadman shared, and they started to look like their old selves again.

Stephen Ogueri asserted himself in the paint, on the glass and on the scoreboard, netting 12 points in the first half, leading Mineola to a 32-17 edge.

Ogueri, T.J. Moreland, Xzavien Lipscomb, Dawson Pendergrass, Braydon Alley and Conner Gipson put points on the board in the first half and all finished the game tallying at least five each, led by Ogueri with 17.

The Yellowjackets did not let up after intermission.

Alley and Ogueri crashed the boards and Mineola secured two steals and two scores before the Lions even got the ball across half court.

Bobby Collins and Alley displayed effective pick-and-rolls with slick bounce passes to one another, splitting the defenders.

The convincing 58-28 win set them up for a Royse City rematch. After an 11-point loss to the Bulldogs on Thursday, the Jackets knew they might have their hands full Friday afternoon.

The opening minute was an indicator of how difficult it would be. Mineola possessed the ball for 46 seconds but could not find a way to get the ball in the bucket.

The Jackets found themselves chasing the Bulldogs and trailed 9-3 just 3:13 into the contest.

Less than two minutes into the second quarter, Mineola had fallen behind 24-7 and called time. They successfully regrouped and went on a 10-0 run, fueled in part by a block and a steal by Pendergrass, who would lead scoring with eight points.

The Jackets closed the half with a solid bounce pass by Moreland from the top of the key to Ogueri on the baseline for a bucket to close the gap to 29-21 at the break.

In the second half, Mineola simply gave up too many easy buckets to keep Royse City within reach, including four three-pointers.

With two minutes left, the Bulldogs showed mercy and held the ball in an act of sportsmanship. Perhaps equally disappointed and grateful after two hard days of play, the Yellowjackets surrendered as 120 seconds slowly drained from the scoreboard, which glowed in favor of Royse City, 66-36.

Mineola was slated to host Sabine Tuesday and Cumberland Friday before opening district play on Monday in Winnsboro.