Speed was the key for the Bogalusa Lady Jacks as they defeated district rival Jewel Sumner on Friday, 69-45. The victory moved the Lady Jacks to 8-14 overall this season and 3-4 in District 8-3A play.

Bogalusa jumped on its opponent early, racing out to a 10-4 lead halfway through the first quarter. Jewel Sumner hit a 3-pointer and then made a steal on the inbounds pass; the shooter drew a foul and hit one of two at the line to make it 10-8 with 3:24 to go in the opening period.

That was as close as Sumner would get on the night, as the Lady Jacks responded by scoring eight straight points to close out the quarter. Entering the second Bogalusa led, 18-8.

In the second it became clear that Sumner couldn’t get back fast enough to stop the Lady Jacks in transition. Shanekqua Mingo broke ahead of the pack for four easy layups in the quarter, and even when the Lady Jacks were unable to score on the break, hard work on the offensive glass helped them stretch the lead to 36-18 at the half.

It was more of the same in the second half. Bogalusa led by 23 at the end of the third and maintained that lead all the way through to the final buzzer.

Gabrielle Alexander led her team with 22 points on the night, and Mingo turned in her highest point total of the season with 18. Bogalusa also got 12 points from Dairra Phillips, 11 from Meigon Parker, four from Amia Peters, and two from Jasmine May.

On Tuesday the Lady Jacks will have a chance at home to even their district record as they take on the Amite Lady Warriors. The game is the final regular season home game on the schedule and will feature a special “Senior Night” sendoff for the three graduating players on the team.