10-6A Girls Basketball: Skeeters notch huge win, Jaguars top Skyline

Games late in the season are often remembered more because there are district titles and playoff berths on the line.

But every game counts the same, and even midseason outcomes can determine if a team makes the playoffs or stays home.

Mesquite might had one of those moments on Tuesday, as it went on the road and picked up a key 48-36 victory over Rockwall-Heath.

The Skeeters move to 2-3 in district, and while they are still in fifth place, they moved to within a half-game of the Hawks (2-2).

Mesquite opened the game on a 10-4 run and pushed the lead to 24-13 at halftime.

The Skeeters continued their charge in the third quarter, opening a 36-20 advantage, and that cushion allowed them to hold off a slight Rockwall-Heath push down the stretch.

Mariah Clayton had a huge game for Mesquite with a season-high 30 points, while Kyla Childs and Tajanae Gooden added eight and seven, respectively. The Hawks got eight points from Shelomi Sanders and seven from Asia Bradford.

Horn moved into sole possession of first place at 4-1 after a 43-26 win over Skyline.

It was a methodical performance by the Jaguars, who won every quarter and held the Raiders to eight points or less in every frame.

Jasmine Shavers once again paced the scoring for Horn with 19 points, Juliet Esomchukwu was in double figures with 12 and Dasia Robinson added nine. Breniya Arnold scored eight points and Lily Brown chipped in with seven for the Raiders, who fell to 1-3.

Horn has a half-game lead over Rockwall (3-1), who was idle on Tuesday, and Tyler Legacy (3-1), who posted a 62-15 win over North Mesquite.

It was a bounce-back performance by the Red Raiders, who saw their undefeated run come to an end on Monday in a 48-31 loss to the Yellowjackets.

Tyler Legacy entered the night with a state ranking, but it was Rockwall who looked the part. The Yellowjackets opened the game on a 13-5 run and then held the Red Raiders to just three points in the third quarter as they pushed the lead to 34-18.

Landry Moore led the way for Rockwall with 18 points, while Lexie Purcell scored eight and Ashley Brand, Nia Santiago and Lindsey Schale each added six. Aaliyah Campbell poured in a game-high 21 points for Tyler Legacy, but no other player had more than four.

Friday features a huge game in the battle for the 10-6A title when Horn travels to take on Rockwall. North Mesquite continues its quest for its first district win at Skyline, while Tyler Legacy hosts Rockwall-Heath.