By BRAD HURT ~ DAR Sports Writer

If you blink, you just may miss the Bernie Mules, whose high-speed brand of offense has accounted for a 19-5 record as of Tuesday.

The Mules, who open the MSHSAA Class 2 District 1 tournament as the No. 2 seed against No. 7 seed Holcomb at 4 p.m. Saturday, love to push the ball and make their living by knocking down the 3-pointer.

What makes them even more dangerous is that opponents cannot afford to lock down on any individual player, as several Mules can have the hot hand on any given night

while Jake Owens (13.1 ppg) and Quinton Stevens (11.4 ppg) also produce for the Mules.

Botsch said his team must focus on one game at a time in order to reach their ultimate goal, especially at this point in the season when anything can happen.

"If you run into a team with a lot of seniors or a team that gets hot at the right time, anybody can knock anybody off," he said. "You have to come ready to play every night or any given night could be your last."

The Mules lost to South Pemiscot in the district championship last season, 71-62, and last won a title in 1992.

Defense and rebounding will be key for the Mules, who cannot afford to be one-dimensional against teams who will try to shut down their outside shooting attack.

"I feel like we have a lot of offensive weapons at our disposal," Mules coach Brad Botsch said. "It seems like especially lately that if one player might be struggling, someone else will pick them up."

The Mules spread the ball around, as evidenced by their great scoring balance. Four Mules average at least 10 points per game, led by 6-foot-2 junior Zach Curry, who comes in at 15.4 points per game. 6-foot-5 Silas Dill contributes 13 points per game.

Dill leads the team on the boards, averaging 7.5 rebounds per game, and Jake Smith is not far behind at 7 per game.

"I think we are going to have to really overachieve in the rebounding department to have a chance to win it," Botsch said.

The Mules benefit from a strong sense of unity, which makes a difference in their play on the court. Every player cares about the progress and success of the team over his own individual statistics, an attitude that hasn't gone unnoticed by their coach.

"Our kids really compliment each other well and have done a good job all year of focusing on the 'team' concept. I've been pleased with our unity and the way we support each other," he said.

In Botsch's view, the district has a clear No. 1 team in Hayti, although anything is possible.

"The district definitely has some sleepers in it. Hayti is the overall favorite and are extremely athletic and talented, but there are some other teams who can compete for the title as well," he said.