Mules 56, Jackson 43

"Their athleticism was speeding us up quite a bit in that first half," Jackson coach Darrin Scott said. "We weren't finishing when we had some shots.

"We were playing too fast."

To the Mules, who beat Jackson 56-43, it wasn't fast enough.

"No, not what I wanted, but we survived," Poplar Bluff coach Lamont Frazier said.

Henrie Williams led the Indians (9-6, 0-3 SEMO) with 23 points and eight rebounds, but Jackson trailed 25-15 at halftime.

Jay Raulston, who was coming off a double-double in just one half Saturday, led the Mules with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The senior was one of three Mules to reach double figures in scoring.

Poplar Bluff (12-3, 2-0) scored nine straight points in the second quarter, holding Jackson scoreless for just over 4 minutes, to build onto a six-point lead.

Jackson never got closer than seven in the second half.

"Our struggle has been we have a little lapse, they get up seven or eight points and then we struggle to cut back into that," Scott said.

There were three lead changes and three ties in the first quarter but the Mules finished with a 3-pointer by Jake White to take an 11-9 lead. Lee Abraham hit another 3 to open the scoring in the second quarter, as the Mules hit 5 of 11 shots from 3-point range.

A tipin by Williams with 4:45 left in the first half pulled Jackson to within 16-12 but the Indians missed their next five shots. The Mules got steals from three different players during the run in which five different players scored.

A pair of free throws by Raulston pushed Poplar Bluff's lead to 25-12 before Williams hit a free throw with 16 seconds left in the half to end Jackson's drought.

The Indians shot 23 percent (6 of 26) from the field in the first half, including a 1 of 7 from 3-point range, with Williams scoring 11 of Jackson's 15 points.

"He stepped up and made some plays," Scott said. "That's something we need out of him. If he does that, that's going to help the other kids elevate their game."

Jackson got within seven midway through the third quarter, but the Mules answered each time and finished the quarter with a 3-pointer by Jordan Marler.

Poplar Bluff led by as many as 13 before Bobby Clark's free throws pulled Jackson within eight with 2:36 to go. The Mules, however, hit 6 of 8 free throws in the final minute to set the final margin.

"We had trouble scoring the whole first half," Scott said. "Then they went through that stretch there where they scored and we didn't."

The Mules and New Madrid County Central (3-0) are the only unbeaten teams left in SEMO play. Sikeston, Notre Dame and Cape Central each have one loss. Jackson fell to 0-3 in conference play.