C6D1: Lady Mules open districts with Oakville

Fighting through a tough stretch of competition, the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules have come a long way from where they started at the beginning of the season.

The No. 6 seeded Lady Mules (12-14) begin competition in the Class 6 District 1 Tournament Thursday at Fox High School in Arnold, and while coach John David Pattillo has noticed the team’s early struggles, he feels it has prepared them for the postseason.

The Lady Mules will take on the No. 3 seeded Oakville (13-10) in a quarterfinal matchup for an opportunity to ultimately play for the district championship.

“I think the girls feel good about heading into the district tournament,” Pattillo said. “We are in a district where we have a lot of teams that are very similar, but I think we have (as good of) a good shot of winning our first game (as) anybody else.”

Pattillo said a few close losses to some ranked teams earlier in the season showed him that the Lady Mules had all the right tools to be successful, but it took some time to bring it all together.

“When you start out 2-9, you start to question things, but over time I noticed that we started to play better and understood what we needed to do,” Pattillo said. “In the second half of the season, we learned how to win those games by finishing the right way, so I feel good about our growth throughout the year.”

Pattillo believes that both the boys and girls have a good shot at winning their opening rounds. He thinks it would be huge for the school to bring home a district championship.

“Bringing home a district title would be awesome,” he said. “I believe we have the type of girls that can do that. Stepping into districts is a fresh start for everyone, and you just got to go play hard. I think we’ve been playing good enough basketball here at the end of the year that we’ve got a good shot.”

CLASS 6 DISTRICT 1

At Fox High School

Girls

THURSDAY

First round

Gym Location: Fox High School Gym 2

1) Jackson vs. 8) Seckman, 5:30 p.m.

4) Lindbergh vs. 5) Mehlville, 7 p.m.

Gym Location: Fox High School Gym 1

2) Cor Jesu Academy vs. 7) Fox, 5:30 p.m.

3) Oakville vs. 6) Poplar Bluff, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY

Semifinals

1-8 winner vs. 4-5 winner, noon

2-7 winner vs 3-6 winner, 1:30 p.m.

TUESDAY

Championship

Semifinal winners, 6 p.m.