Lady Mules win third in a row

Riding a modest two-game winning streak heading into Thursday night’s home contest against visiting Sikeston, a team the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules beat earlier this season, things looked promising for continued good mojo.

It was equal parts dominant mixed with some hiccups, but the Lady Mules did just enough to record a 59-47 win and make it three straight games on the front foot and four of their last five.

The Lady Mules (6-9) were led by Clara Rahlmann (15 points), Madelyn Eads (11), Nevaeh Larkins (10) and Adrienne Casey (nine).

“Last season we started out bad and the whole team decided to ‘forget this season, we’re not going to try,’” Rahlmann said as she discussed the positives and also what the team needed to continue to improve. “As a group we decided we needed to turn a corner and make a change. Even though we are playing decent teams, we can still turn up on them.

“We need better offensive rhythm and we tend to foul a lot and get our better players out of the game — I know I had a problem with that against Naylor and Doniphan.”

Lady Mules head coach John David Pattillo said this game was another typical contest between the two regional rivals.

“They do things well enough and we didn’t guard as well as I hoped we’d guard,” Pattillo said. “We fought through the way the rhythm of the game was. We came out at halftime and we wanted to be up 20 after the third quarter and ended up up six.

“I liked the fact they didn’t quit, battled and didn’t give in.”

Poplar Bluff was in a battle from the tip as Jakiah Adams and the Sikeston crew banged home four triples to stay level with their host at 13-all despite the Lady Mules getting some strong interior attacks from Nevaeh Larkins and a 3-bomb by Mikalla Little.

However, the Lady Mules got some separation with a late 6-0 run spearheaded by some cold-blooded successful shooting by Madelyn Eads and they took a 19-13 lead into the second quarter.

The run turned into a dominant display as the Poplar Bluff girls scored the first seven points of the next period and suddenly they led 26-13 with five minutes before halftime.

Sikeston (3-13) scrapped to keep it close and the Lady Mules settled for a 33-22 lead at the break as Larkins continued to control things close to the tin.

The third quarter took the shape of the previous one as Sikeston stayed feisty and the Lady Mules remained better to keep a low double digit edge that flirted with high single numerics.

A late flourish brought Sikeston to within 47-41 heading into the final quarter as Poplar Bluff had some work still to do.

A 17-point outburst by sophomore Landri Hammontree in the quarter kept the Lady Bulldogs in contention.

Sikeston pulled within four and were getting plucky when Eads drilled a bounce-pop-and-drop triple for some breathing room at 50-43.

That make appeared to double as a sigh of relief as the Lady Mules finished off a 9-2 run over three- plus minutes on an Eads leaner to go up 56-45 with 2:45 to go.

“Tonight managing what we did in the last three minutes, they did a nice job of that,” Pattillo said.