Mules motor past Jackson in OT

SIKESTON — It may not have been the prettiest game but it’s a victory Will Durden and the Poplar Bluff will remember as they edged Jackson in over-time to advance to the semifinals of the SEMO Conference Boys Basketball Tournament.

The Mules tipped against the Indians at 5:30 p.m., after a few well deserved days off for Poplar Bluff. Despite not holding onto the lead in the final minutes, the Mules prevailed 49-45 in over-time to lock in its spot in the semi-finals which now means Poplar Bluff will take on the host and top-seeded Bulldogs of Sikeston.

“I’ll take it,” Durden said after the game. “We got a lead and then we lost it. A couple of games ago we did that and we didn’t pull it out. I like how our guys fought. We’re learning.

“We’re going to have to win games like that all year. Played in the district last year and that’s how the games were. You can fast and up and down but if you can’t win a game like that (we played), then you’re not going to go very far.”

After the opening tip, the first few minutes were all Poplar Bluff as it jumped out to a 7-0 lead but Jackson called a timeout, regrouped and ended the frame on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 7-7 after one.

The first part of the opening quarter were what the Mules were looking for as they’re coming off of four games in five days last week.

Poplar Bluff went 2-2 during that stretch and Durden said he learned a bit about his team and let him know they have more in the tank.

“It gave us an opportunity to see what we got,” he said. “We played four games in five days, we can’t complain about being tired.”

Poplar Bluff posted 20 points in the second quarter, the biggest scoring frame for either team in the game. The Mules held a six-point lead at the break but only four points in the third quarter would setup a pivotal final frame for both teams.

Each team had the lead in the final frame as the Mules had a chance to put the game away at the line but two missed free throws opened the door for Jackson to tie the game with less than a minute left.

The Mules had a chance to get a final shot but a turnover gave Jackson the ball in the closing seconds.

Poplar Bluff had four players score in the overtime period, including a big 3-pointer from Brendan Durden in the closing minutes to give the Mules a boost.

Torrence Williams finished with 12 points to lead PB while Preston Moore also finished in double digits with 10 points. Brendan Durden and Mar’Lon Hickman-Roberson each added nine points.

The Mules will take on Sikeston at 6:30 p.m. Thursday for a spot in Friday’s final. The Bulldogs took down Kennett in their opening round game on Tuesday evening.