Cor Jesu ends Lady Mules’ season

ST. LOUIS — With the odds stacked against them, the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules confidently stepped onto the court to compete in their first game of the postseason.

The No. 8 seeded Lady Mules had a challenging task ahead in the opening round of the Class 6 District 1 Tournament. Poplar Bluff took on the No. 1 seed in the district, Cor Jesu Academy Chargers, on Wednesday at Oakville High School.

Though the Lady Mules came ready to play, the lack of ball protection would end their postseason early. After a hot start from Cor Jesu, they would maintain the same energy throughout the game to walk away with a 61-28 win over the Lady Mules.

First-year Poplar Bluff head coach Soley Dugas got her first taste of the playoffs, and despite an early exit, she’s noticed tremendous progress from each of her players.

“Before the game, I talked to the girls about just going out and competing,” Dugas said. “It took us a while to find our groove offensively, but we went into halftime only down 14. Then, we started the third quarter with three defensive stops, not letting them score. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t convert. We set ourselves up to go on a run there in the 3rd, but we came up short and fizzled out down the stretch. All in all, I’m proud of the girls and the growth we’ve had this season, and I’m eager to get back in the gym and work in the off-season and I’m hoping the young girls are too.”

The Lady Mules finished the regular season 7-18, and despite both teams heading into the matchup somewhat blind to each other’s style of play, the Lady Mules would face a lot of adversity without two key starters.

Cor Jesu set the tone early by making multiple baskets to start the game. They made some sharp plays in transition and found a nice flow offensively by knocking down multiple shots from the three-point line.

On the opposite side, the Lady Mules saw some early struggles by collecting many turnovers from Cor Jesu’s high-pressured defense. The Lady Mules were outscored 19-6 in the opening period, and Cor Jesu would carry the same intensity for most of the game. In the second period, Cor Jesu exposed the Lady Mules’ defensive weakness inside the post and continued to rack up points. Though the Lady Mules managed to connect with a few buckets, they would have a lot of ground to cover going into the half, trailing 33-19.

The Lady Mules played with a lot of energy in the third, and regardless of any attempt to trim the lead, they would come up short of converting any points of their own. Cor Jesu caught a spark at the end of the third, extending the margin even further and holding the Lady Mules to six points.

While maintaining a double-digit lead heading into the fourth, Cor Jesu slowed the pace and played the clock to advance to the next round.

Paige Dolrenry led the Chargers with 18 points, Lauren Ortwerth chipped in with 15 and Sophia Bellistri and Makenzie Van Bree added with eight.

Senior Kennedy Zgaynor led the Lady Mules with 12 points.

Cor Jesu will play the winner of Jackson/Mehlville on Friday.