BLUFF PROVES THE HEALTHIEST

After having a 13-11 season last year, the Jackson Lady Indians are looking to re-establish themselves as a state power and the best girls basketball team in Southeast Missouri.

They were three quarters of the way there Friday night.

After swapping baskets with Poplar Bluff (9-1) through three quarters, Jackson faltered down the stretch as the Lady Mules -- ranked third in 4A -- held off the Lady Indians 50-43 to win their fourth straight HealthSouth Classic.

Jackson (5-1), after turning the ball over just eight times through the first three quarters, turned the ball over six times in the final six minutes of play and Poplar Bluff took advantage and finished the game on a 9-3 run.

Both Jackson coach Ron Cook and Poplar Bluff coach Kirk Chronister thought fatigue might have played a role.

"To be honest with you, Poplar Bluff was in better shape than we were," said Cook. "Our legs were gone. I was trying to get on them and get in their heads a little bit and get a little more, but it wasn't there."

Said Chronister, "We didn't do anything different; basically it was the same press we played all game. They may have had some fatigue or we may have become more aggressive."

Jackson's final lead of the game was 40-39 at the 5:59 mark of the fourth quarter after Andrea Koeper converted her second consecutive conventional three-point play.

The Lady Indians trailed just 45-43 with 1:58 left, but Poplar Bluff executed its four-corner stalling offense to perfection and was able to limit the game to just five possessions and Jackson turned the ball over on two of its last three.

Despite the loss, Jackson gained a lot of respect.

"I don't think there's any doubt that Jackson is capable of competing against any team in the state of Missouri," Chronister said.

"I thought we had a good tournament," Cook said. "We've got a lot of work to do, but I'm proud of the girls and proud of their effort."

One of the things Cook would like to see is better defense. Poplar Bluff shot 43 percent from the floor.

But Cook also thinks his young team is missing a killer instinct, something that Poplar Bluff -- which took second in the state last year -- showed Friday night.

"We've got a fear of failure," Cook said. "We need to play with more confidence. We've just got to reach down and pull out more energy and just believe we can do it."

Koeper ended up with a team-high 15 points, though she could've easily had more than 20 had she made some wide-open layups. Whitney Werner added 12 points.

For Poplar Bluff, Nicole Rivers scored 17 points, including all nine of the Lady Mules' tallies in the first quarter.

"She was aggressive with her shots," said Chronister. "She's the one who happened to get open and her shot selection was real good."