McCracken County rallies past Mules at Showdown

The Poplar Bluff Mules started strong, but could not make an early 10-point lead hold up late in a 66-59 loss Friday to the McCracken County (Kentucky) Mustangs in consolation action at the Poplar Bluff Showdown.

The Mustangs improved to 10-3 on the season, while the Mules saw their record fall to 7-6.

Poplar Bluff opened the game looking like a different team than the one that struggled to score in the first half Thursday night. They roared out of the gate and built a 13-6 lead halfway through the first quarter.

Great defense by the Mules helped push their lead to 16-6 with two minutes left, but back-to-back 3-pointers by the Mustangs cut the lead to 16-12 with under a minute remaining. Poplar Bluff answered back with their own trey, ending the quarter with a 19-12 lead.

“I thought our energy level was much better tonight,” said Poplar Bluff coach William Durden. “The guys played a lot looser, like they didn’t feel so much pressure.”

Play in the second quarter was tight on both ends of the court, with both teams about equal in baskets and turnovers, which kept the Mules’ lead at six points halfway through the second.

Leading 31-25 with two minutes in the half, the Mules let the Mustangs come back with a series of sharpshooting three-pointers and uncontested layups, which resulted in a 32-32 tie at halftime.

Darius Graham of the Mules and Jackson Klope of the Mustangs were the scoring stars in the third quarter. Each team traded baskets and leads throughout the period. After Klope’s layup gave the Mustangs a three-point lead with under two minutes, Graham tied it with a 3-pointer, and then gave the Mules a 49-47 lead to end the third.

Graham was the Mules leading scorer in the game, putting up 21 points in the loss. McCracken County was paced by game-high scorer Connor Miller with 24 points, while teammate Klope added 19.

After the Mustangs tied the game to open the fourth, the Mules pressed for a 53-49 lead two minutes in. Consecutive Mules turnovers allowed McCracken County to tie it up with five minutes remaining.

Poplar Bluff regained a three-point lead at four minutes, but McCracken County tied it and then took the lead on subsequent possessions, each sparked by Mules’ turnovers.

The Mustangs appeared in control with 45 seconds left, with possession of the ball and a three-point lead. They scored on three consecutive breakaway layups as time expired to seal the victory.

“I think we can still feel good despite the loss because the energy and the effort was there right to the end,” Durden said.

Next up for the Mules is the seventh-place game against Germantown at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, while McCracken County will face Urbana (Illinois) for the consolation title at 2 p.m. Saturday.