Central gets come-from-behind conference win against Mules

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The final seconds of Friday night's SEMO Conference matchup between Poplar Bluff and Central provided plenty of drama.

Andre Statam's free throw with 9.5 seconds left broke a tie before each team turned the ball over in a wild finish as Central edged the Mules 63-62.

"I wouldn't have drawn it up like that, but I'm glad it happened like that," Central coach Drew Church said. "For our guys to keep their composure and get a defensive stop is great."

Poplar Bluff (8-9, 0-2 SEMO) came away with Statam's missed second free throw but turned the ball over on a traveling violation with 3 seconds left.

The Tigers (8-8, 1-1) burned their final timeout as senior Dusty Tolbert struggled to inbound the ball in front of Poplar Bluff's student section then threw it away when his pass into the backcourt went untouched.

Tolbert's lone basket of the night, a 3 with 4 1/2 minutes to play, gave the Tigers their first lead of the game after trailing by as many as 15.

"Dusty was almost in tears after a play where all we have to do is catch the ball and throw it away," Church said.

But the Mules couldn't take advantage of their second chance.

Poplar Bluff's Chris Stocks caught the inbound pass at the top of the key and as he turned to the right to make a move, the ball hit the knee of Central's Mikey Jones, knocking it free. Stocks fell to the floor as Jones held up his hands as the ball bounced away and the final buzzer sounded.

It was the fifth straight loss for the Mules and second in as many nights by five points or less.

"The kids, they're kind of taking this one pretty hard, and I am too," Mules coach Will Durden said. "We were right there. But again, it boils down to one or two stops away. Three possessions down late we didn't get a stop, and it kind of hurt us."

Joseph Eyler scored eight of his 18 points in the first quarter for the Mules. Malik Metcalf and Ryan Brittingham each scored nine while Stacy Gipson finished with seven points, five blocks, five rebounds and four fouls.

Jamal Cox scored seven of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Tigers. Statam finished with 18 while Al Young added 13 points.

Central, which won its third straight, lost to Poplar Bluff by 24 at the SEMO Conference Tournament in December.

This one started similar as the Mules scored the first six points and led 20-11 heading into the second quarter. The margin grew to 15 when Brittingham hit a pair of 3s in the span of a minute.

Metcalf's 3 with 3:21 left in the half put the Mules up 29-19, but Gipson missed two free throws and picked up his third foul.

"We had three of our bigger guys in foul trouble, and they took advantage of it," Durden said. "That's the difference between this game and last game."

The Tigers nearly took as many shots from the free-throw line (34) as from the field (36).

"We wanted to go at Stacy," Church said. "He's a good player, and we wanted to go right at him and try to attack him. Andre and Jamal did a good job of that."

Central finished the half with a 12-4 run as Statam hit six free throws, sophomore Davonta Nunley-Bell banked in a 3 and Cox picked up a three-point play on the break.

The Tigers trailed 33-31 at halftime but momentum had shifted.

"It gave our guys confidence," Church said.

Statam tied it to start the second half and Gipson went back to the bench with his fourth foul just 20 seconds after his free throw put the Mules back in front.

Eyler's steal and layin finished a six-point spurt for the Mules, who led by as many as seven in the third quarter. Central scored four straight late and trailed 52-48 heading to the fourth.

Poplar Bluff freshman Willie Lucas got a putback early in the fourth, but it was the last field goal for the Mules over the final 7:40.

After falling behind for the first time, the Mules ended a 2 1/2-minute scoring drought on Gipson's free throws for a 58-57 lead.

The teams traded the lead before Cox split at the line to tie it at 60. Eyler answered with two from the line before Cox scored from the low post to tie it again.

Following a missed 14-foot jumper by Gipson, Central held the ball for the next 90 seconds before Statam got the ball up top and drove down the lane. Eyler attempted to draw a charge but Statam got there first for two free throws. The junior hit the first but missed the second to set up the wild finish.

The Tigers improved to 2-7 in games decided by single digits, with their only other win coming in overtime against McCracken (Ky.).

Central 11 20 17 15 -- 63

Poplar Bluff 20 13 19 10 -- 62

CENTRAL (63) -- Al Young 13, Jalen Reddin 2, Jamal Cox 20, Mikey Jones 4, Dusty Tolbert 3, Andre Statam 18, Jay Nunley-Bell 3. FG 18, FT 21-34, F 17. (3-pointers: Tolbert 1, Nunley-Bell 1. Fouled out: None.)

POPLAR BLUFF (62) -- Joseph Eyler 18, Malik Metcalf 9, Patrick Tillman 7, Willie Lucas 4, Ryan Brittingham 9, Stacy Gipson 7, Brandon Stuckenschneider 3, Chris Stocks 5. FG 14, FT 16-21, F 19. (3-pointers: Brittingham 3, Metcalf 1, Tillman 1, Stuckenschneider 1. Fouled out: None.)

JV -- Poplar Bluff 45, Cape Central 36