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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

VINCENT – The Vincent Yellow Jackets made it back-to-back area victories with a win over the Horseshoe Bend Generals, but they had to fight to earn it.

Vincent defeated Horseshoe Bend 66-62 on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at Vincent Middle High School to remain on top of the area standings.

Skylar McCrimon dominated from the start of the game, hitting three first-quarter 3-pointers while scoring 11 points in the opening period. Will Aldrift also knocked down a shot from long range as the Jackets started the game with 18 points.

However, it wasn’t enough to top the Generals, who led 20-18 after the first quarter thanks to some strong 3-point shooting of their own.

Vincent started flipping the script in the second quarter and held Horseshoe Bend to 11 more points before halftime. Camari Keller took advantage by scoring eight points to get him into double figures for the half while McCrimon and Taye Robertson each hit a 3-pointer.

That gave the Jackets a 35-29 lead going into the halftime break.

Vincent continued keeping the Generals at bay with its offensive momentum. Keller continued to dominate, scoring eight points for the second-straight quarter, Robertson scored four more points and McCrimon got his sixth 3-pointer of the night during the third.

The Jackets outpaced Horseshoe Bend 14-12 in the third to extend their lead to 51-43, but the Generals remained very much in striking distance.

Both teams erupted on the offensive end in the fourth quarter and combined for 34 points. The Generals had the edge on offense thanks in part to four made 3-pointers in the final period, but Vincent held off the charge and made six of their eight free throws as a team down the stretch.

As a result, the Jackets saw out the four-point victory to keep their strong run through area play going.

McCrimon and Keller each got at least 20 points on the night, including 22 points for McCrimon and 20 for Keller. Zahmir McMillan finished with 11 points, including five in the fourth quarter, and Robertson scored 10 points in the victory.

Vincent is now 9-11 on the season but 3-1 in area play. The Jackets will have three games before their area contest on Jan. 23 at Horseshoe Bend and will first host the Childersburg Tigers on Friday, Jan. 16 at 7:30 p.m. before traveling to Pleasant Valley on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 6 p.m.