No. 1 New Madrid County Central overpowers Mules

The Poplar Bluff High School Mules have played some tough teams recently, and their schedule has only gotten more challenging as they took on the No.1 team in Class 3.

The Mules hosted the New Madrid County Central Eagles on Tuesday in an SEMO conference matchup. The Mules hung around for as long as they could, but going up against an offensive powerhouse such as New Madrid County, they would need a near-perfect game.

Despite the smooth play in the first half, missed opportunities at the basket would cost them and hand New Madrid County Central their 13th straight win on the season with a 72-53 win.

Mules coach William Durden said taking care of the ball and containing the boards would be their main focus for keeping the game close, but the Eagles had other plans for the Mules.

“We played hard, but we just had a few missed assignments,” Durden said. “We had a solid gameplan, but when you’re playing against a good team, you must be ready for everything. We tried to make some other guys beat us, but they were also making shots. It’s not surprising with this team because they’re tough.”

The odds were stacked against the Mules entering the matchup. On top of taking on the No.1 team in their conference, the Mules haven’t beaten NMCC since 2019. New Madrid is no stranger to the Poplar Bluff gymnasium after claiming the championship in the PB showdown earlier this season, so adjusting to the atmosphere wouldn’t be an issue.

It was a well-balanced first quarter as both teams traded a series of baskets, clawing at the chance to take the first lead of the game. As expected, NMCC senior Jadis Jones got the Eagles rolling early with a few baskets in the paint. The Mules would stay on their heels for most of the first quarter as they were able to attack the basket and land a few outside jumpers.

After the first quarter, a drastic shift would occur as the Eagles began to start their run, turning missed opportunities from the Mules into easy fastbreak baskets. The Eagles kicked off the second quarter with a 10-0 run to gain a double-digit lead over the Mules. Most of the quarter would belong to the Eagles, and they would go into halftime with a slam from Jones for a 42-24 lead.

Though the Mules entered the final quarter trailing 61-42, they would receive a spark from guard Brendan Durden, who closed out the third quarter with a dagger from three. Despite the burst from the Mules, NMCC had already established a comfortable lead to solidify their victory.

Durden led the Mules with 22 points, Mar’Lon Hickman-Roberson had nine and Darius Graham finished with eight.

Jones led NMCC with a double-double of 24 points and 16 rebounds, while AJ Ruff added with 16 points.

As NMCC set on its quest of winning back-to-back state titles, Jones said the key is building on every win and playing together.

“I feel good about this win,” Jones said. “I think the team is on a nice run right now. We still need to figure things out for the younger guys, but our goal is always to come out and play aggressively because it’s hard to get back-to-back wins. Our goal going forward is to build off each game because we learn something new every game. We just need to trust the coaches, and when we do that, it’s hard to beat us.”

The Mules will take on another top-tier team on Friday as they hit the road to play Sikeston. Durden said though the schedule is tough, it’s the best way to help the team grow.

“We want to test the kids every year,” he said. “We build a schedule that way, and sometimes it works out in our favor, but we must compete every game. We’re building our players for the postseason. We just have to keep battling and keep getting better.”