District Ready: Lady Mules to face off with Cor Jesu

A first-year head coach will get her shot at the postseason.

Poplar Bluff head coach Soley Dugas will face her toughest test of the year as she leads the Lady Mules basketball team into the playoffs. The Lady Mules have come a long way from where they started at the beginning of the season and will now get the opportunity to showcase their growth.

The No. 8 seeded Lady Mules will compete in the Class 6 District 1 tournament on Wednesday at Oakville High School High School, and though the season has been up and down, Dugas is eager to be tested in her new role.

“I’m excited to play,” Dugas said. “I just want us to go up there and to compete. We’ve struggled here the last couple of weeks. We’ve played some hard games to close out the regular season and have been playing without two of our starters, so we’re just trying to make some adjustments and get the girls ready to compete.”

Coach Dugas expects the Lady Mules to be prepared for anything in the postseason. She credits them for staying the course by battling through a tough season. She hopes they will be ready to go when the ball tips off.

The Lady Mules finished the regular season 7-18, and despite seeing little success, Dugas is aware that they will have a clean slate heading into the district tournament. Poplar Bluff will have the odds stacked against them by going head-to-head with the No. 1 seed Cor Jesu Academy in the quarterfinals.

“I just told the girls the postseason is all about who wants it the most,” Dugas said. “It’s not about records coming in or how people start the game, it strictly comes down to what team wants to win the most. With a lot of these games going on in our area, many teams have many close games already, so we must come in and be ready to compete. Being ready is important for us going forward.”

While Dugas has noticed the team’s early struggles, she feels the leadership from the Lady Mules’ key seniors has made a significant difference in how they have approached the game recently. She expects them to step up even more with the season being on the line.

“Abby Wilson and Kennedy Zgaynor have been our leaders for most of the season,” Dugas said. “They’ve had their ups and downs, but I’m excited for them to come in ready to go tomorrow and to really push everyone else. I’m hoping everyone else responds, and we work together and maybe cause an upset.”