Mules win reboot, end seven-game skid

The Poplar Bluff Mules have struggled to stay on the winning side for most of the season.

That ended Wednesday with a strong performance agains the visiting Kennett Indians.

After a week off of the hardwood, and two weeks since their Homecoming Night game against Kennett was postponed due to a winter storm, the Mules picked up right where they left off with an 81-52 win.

The game started with Mules (7-11) leading 24-12 to start the second quarter, the point where fans and teams were sent home originally.

The win ended a 7-game losing streak for Poplar Bluff.

“One thing I’ve learned about coaching is that you have to be flexible,” coach William Durden said. “This isn’t the first time we’ve had to suspend a game because of the weather, but I thought the kids handled the situation better than I expected them to.”

The Mules started the second quarter by knocking down multiple shots from beyond the arc, extending the lead bay double-digits. Kennett attempted to make a run but couldn’t find a shot before heading into halftime trailing, 50-22.

To take some of the fire out of the Mules, Kennet dropped back into a zone defense to limit the easy attacks the Mules were getting in the first half.

Zy’Kerrion Taylor, who led Kennett (8-12) with nine points, put up some tough shots for the Indians, attempting to find any momentum to get his team going.

Even down big, Kennett began to find a rhythm and knocked down tough shots to keep the gap as close as possible, but the manpower from the Mules was too much to bear.

The Mules held a commanding 67-32 lead to start the fourth and stayed hot throughout the game with a constant spark from junior guard Darius Graham, who slashed to the basket over the Indians with an obvious speed advantage. Graham finished with 13 points.

Junior Forward Torrence Williams led the Mules with 14 points and pulled down numerous rebounds. Sophomore Brendan Durden added 13 points, with all his field goals coming from beyond the three.

“It felt good to be back on the court after a week off,” Graham said. “We’ve been kind of rusty, so getting back in the gym was a priority for us, especially since we have some big games ahead of us.

“Hopefully, getting this win right here will give us the energy to go on a little run heading into the district tournament in a few weeks.”

While fighting through a tough stretch, Coach Durden said it felt nice to be back on the winning side against a brutal schedule.

“Our goal after this win is to stay on that side,” he said. “We’re going to keep working and playing hard. Our kids are competing in practice, and if we keep doing that, we’ll be alright at the end of the year.”

Despite restarting the game in the second quarter, Kennett’s coach Noll Billings doesn’t blame the game’s outcome on the situation but rather on how his team failed to execute.

“I feel we were not mentally prepared for this game,” Billings said. “We didn’t start out strong as we should have, and when you play in a conference like this and show up with no energy or sense of urgency, you’re going to lose. Heading into the next game, we need to fix that.”

The Mules are back in action Friday to host Notre Dame, and Kennett will travel to Dexter. Both games tip off at 7:30 p.m.