Mules close out regular season with win over Bearcats

If you were looking for a post-season tune-up, you couldn’t have found a more intense game than the Poplar Bluff-Dexter boys basketball matchup at the Poplar Bluff Gymnasium Friday night

The Poplar Bluff Mules closed out their regular season with a 64-57 victory over the Bearcats in a game that featured all the intensity, effort, and drama of a playoff game.

Even though Poplar Bluff is Class 5 and Dexter is Class 4, they fought for every shot, rebound, and pass like tonight was the district championship game. A close first quarter ended in a Mules’ lead that they took into halftime, but Dexter’s 3-point shooters brought the Bearcats back in the third quarter.

The physical intensity kept the officials busy all night, keeping the close contact under control with a series of foul calls that never relented until the final buzzer.

Poplar Bluff’s defensive tenacity forced the key turnovers that allowed the Mules to pull far enough ahead to secure the victory late in the fourth.

“This is the kind of game both teams want to go into,” said Mules coach William Durden. “We both played like it was a lose-and-go-home situation, and both teams played their hearts out.

“You’ve got to tip your hat to (Dexter head coach Chad) Allen over there. He has his guys raring to go every time. They're always well-coached, and they play hard, and we pulled out a good one tonight.”

Poplar Bluff’s leading scorer was senior Brendan Durden with a game-high 32 points.

Dexter was paced by Tucker Temples with 18 points and John Sepulvado with 15.

The first few minutes of the game featured a series of ties and lead changes, with the Mules taking a 9-8 lead at 3:10, after which they went on a 9-5 run to end the first quarter with an 18 to 13 lead.

Play got chippy in the second quarter, with both teams playing overly aggressive on defense, which resulted in a series of fouls for both squads. Poplar Bluff ended up in the bonus, and after taking a 22-16 lead, pushed that up to 27-16 with 3:39 left in the half.

The Bearcats responded with five points to cut the Mules’ lead to 27-21, and after Poplar Bluff scored four to make it 31-21, Dexter scored three to trail by seven at halftime, 31-24.

Brendan Durden started the third quarter with a 3-pointer to give the Mules another 10-point lead, but Temples and Will Guethle hit a streak of triples to tie the game at 44 with 55 seconds left in the third.

Sepulvado was fouled on his next possession, and he hit one of two free throws to give the Bearcats a 45-44 lead at the end of the third as Dallas Williams’ 3-point attempt at the buzzer rolled off the rim.

Williams put in the first points of the fourth quarter to give the Mules a one-point lead. Unfortunately for Poplar Bluff, he then committed his fifth personal foul of the night and had to sit out the rest of the game with six minutes remaining.

A basket for Brendan Durden followed by two free throws by Durden and one for Justin Briscoe gave the Mules a tenuous four-point lead of 51-47 with four minutes left to play. Brendan Durden next hit back-to-back layups for a 55-47 lead as Dexter called timeout to regroup.

“We talk about energy and effort, and I thought that's what they did,” coach Durden said. “We left them open for some wide-open 3s, and they knocked them down. They did a good job in hitting, but our kids responded and pulled a tough one out.”

Two more Dexter turnovers gave the Mules two easy layups and a 59-47 lead, leading to Allen called his last timeout of the game with 3:14 remaining.

The Bearcats’ Carter Stone came out of the timeout and hit a baseline triple to cut the Mules’ lead to 59-50. Two Mules’ turnovers then gave Dexter a layup and a 3 to make it 59-55. A free throw from Temples brought them within three points at 59-56 with 1:30 to play.

With both teams in the free throw bonus, Brendan Durden made one of two free throws to put Poplar Bluff up by four. Jay Edmundson was next on the foul line, hitting one but with the Mules controlling the second rebound and scoring for a 63-56 lead with 45 seconds left.

Temples converted a free throw but missed his second, but the Mules turned over their rebound. Dexter couldn’t score, and Brendan Durden was fouled making the rebound. He made one of two free throws, and the Mules were up seven, 64-57, with 20 seconds left.

Dexter couldn’t connect on four consecutive 3-point attempts, and a Mules’ rebound sealed the hard-fought, well-earned victory.

Next up for the Mules is a round-one matchup against fourth-seeded Hillsboro in the Class 5 District 1 tournament on Wednesday. Poplar Bluff is the No. 5 seed, going into postseason play with an 11-13 record.

“We just need to keep getting better,” coach Durden said. “It's the great thing about coaching these guys—it's been a great time with these guys all year, and we just need to keep getting better, so any day I can continue to coach them is a blessing for me.”

Dexter (12-13) is the No. 2 seed in the Class 4 District 1 tournament and will get a first-round bye. Their first game also comes on Wednesday, against the winner of Kennett vs. Perryville.