Lady Mules get win over Holcomb in first game in two weeks

The Poplar Bluff Lady Mules basketball team put its grit to the test by capturing back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

After a few game cancellations, the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules looked to pick up where they left off from their previous win. The Lady Mules faced off against the Holcomb Lady Hornets on Thursday, and after some consistent shooting from around the perimeter, they protected home court with a 57-48 victory.

Lady Mules’ head coach, Soley Dugas, said playing against Holcomb was a good lesson for the team as the squad looks to keep up its momentum for the rest of the season.

“I thought this game was good for the girls to learn how to battle back,” Solely said. “We stayed focused, kept working and played our game. We’ve been working on our defense because we’ve struggled offensively, but I feel that everything has fallen into place since we’ve picked up our intensity on defense.”

The Lady Mules kicked off the game with a 7-0 run, having one of its best first quarters of the season. Senior Darneesha Danner got the ball rolling for the Lady Mules with a quick bucket under the basket, and from there, the team took off.

With active hands and quick feet, the Lady Mules zeroed in on playing smothering defense, which resulted in easy baskets. The first half of the game was all about the Lady Mules as they continued to capitalize off the turnovers from Holcomb.

The third quarter would remain the same for the Lady Mules by connecting with multiple baskets to extend the margin even further. Though the Lady Mules held a 43-32 lead to start the fourth quarter, they would find themselves in a similar situation as Holcomb with their turnovers.

With the Lady Mules struggling to find a basket, Holcomb began to chip away at the lead, cutting the score 45-40 with five minutes remaining in the contest.

Despite being rattled in the fourth with a run from Holcomb, the Lady Mules kept its eyes on the prize to land the win.

Senior Kennedy Zgaynor led the Lady Mules with 22 points, Ireland Gowen had 10 points, Abby Wilson and Danner had eight points and Julissa Johnson had five.

Wilson said it felt good to land back-to-back wins on the season and credited their defense as the key ingredient for walking away with the win.

“We came in knowing they were on a little low streak, and we took advantage of that,” Wilson said. “Getting this win was really important for us because we have some tough games coming up. I have to applaud the team’s effort and our attitude because we’ve struggled. It’s really easy to get down on ourselves, but our team has done a really good job of staying up and staying positive and finding the good.”

Wilson said keeping the same energy on defense and playing through adversity will be the key to pushing through the remainder of the season.

Though Holcomb didn’t win, guard Kaetly Danley was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points.

The Lady Mules will be back in action on Monday when they travel to Van Buren to take on the Lady Dawgs.