Poplar Bluff Showdown: Mules edge Germantown for seventh

For the second time in less than 24 hours, the Poplar Bluff Mules found themselves in a close game at the Poplar Bluff Showdown — but after coming up short in that scenario on Friday, it was a different story Saturday against the Germantown (Tennessee) Red Devils.

Poplar Bluff (8-6) took the lead for good midway through the fourth quarter to earn a 76-74 win Saturday against the Red Devils in the seventh-place game at the Showdown.

With the score tied at 64, Preston Moore sank a pair of free throws with 3:12 left in regulation to stake the Mules to a 66-64 lead.

After getting a stop on the Red Devils' ensuing possession, Marlon Hickman-Roberson hit Brenden Durden over on the right side for a huge 3-pointer to make it a five-point game (69-64) with 2:35 remaining.

After Haven Terry answered with a basket for Germantown (7-6), Hickman-Roberson followed that with a jumper with 2:08 to go to make it 71-66.

The Red Devils did not give up, cutting the Poplar Bluff lead to 71-70 on Fitzgerald's layup with 1:38 left. However, the Mules answered, getting a free throw from Moore and a layin from Hickman-Roberson to push the lead back up to four (74-70) with 28 seconds to go.

Haven Terry's basket with 17 seconds cut the Germantown deficit to 74-72, but Darius Graham sank a pair of free throws with 8.5 seconds left to give the Mules a two-possession lead at 76-72 and effectively ice the game.

Hickman-Roberson led Poplar Bluff with 18 points, while Brenden Durden added 17 and Graham finished with eight.

The Mules are back in action Thursday when they head across the state to Joplin to take on Neosho in the first game of the Kaminsky Classic.