Mules win on senior night

With the Poplar Bluff Mules boys basketball team celebrating senior night on Thursday, it was only fitting that the Mules' seniors would step up.

As a result, the Mules defeated Lutheran St. Charles Cougars 71-49 in the penultimate game of the 2024-25 regular season.

On the evening that Poplar Bluff celebrated its senior class, the Mules took control of the game about halfway through the first quarter and survived a run from the Cougars in the second quarter to lead by 11 points at halftime.

Poplar Bluff put on a stellar performance in the third quarter on both ends of the court, shutting down Lutheran St. Charles and racking up 19 points to put the game out of reach by the start of the fourth quarter.

“We came out with a very high energy level,” said Mules coach William Durden. “The last few practices, they've been doing it, and we've been trying to really concentrate on our energy level at the beginning of the game.”

Senior Brendan Durden led the Mules with a game-high 26 points, with junior Dallas Williams adding 20 in the victory. Seniors Jay Edmundson, Bryson Paukner and Micah Inscoe also scored Thursday night.

Lutheran’s leading scorer was Jayden Woods, with 16 points on the evening.

The game began with the teams starting slow and trading baskets for a 6-6 tie after the first four minutes of the first quarter. The Mules then went on a 6-0 run to build a 12-6 lead that they extended to 20-10 at the end of the quarter.

After scoring four more points to start the second to lead 24-10, Poplar Bluff’s offense went cold, which allowed the Cougars to craft a 7-0 run that cut the Mules’ lead to 24-17 with three minutes remaining in the half.

Justin Briscoe finally ended the run with a bucket, and with a minute left until halftime, the score stood at 30-20 in favor of the Mules. Lutheran worked the clock on their end for a basket to cut Poplar Bluff’s lead to eight points, but Dallas Williams hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from beyond NBA range to give the Mules a 33-22 lead at the half.

Poplar Bluff came out of the locker room on fire, with its shooters seemingly hitting everything they tossed at the basket. On the other end, the Mules’ defense gave Lutheran no clean looks from any point on the floor.

By the end of the third quarter, the Mules had outscored the Cougars 19-7 to take a 52-29 lead into the final frame.

“We just wanted the game to go inside out. We shoot a lot better when that happens, and that's what we did,” coach Durden said. “We've been waiting all season for some shots to fall, and I'm glad they fell on senior night.”

Both teams played a little sloppy in the fourth quarter, with the Mules playing less vigilant on defense than in the third. They kept pace, however, with most of the shots the Cougars made.

Although Lutheran edged the Mules 20-19 in fourth quarter scoring, the damage had already been done in the third, and coach Durden emptied his bench with 1:36 left to let most of his reserve players finish out the final seconds of their convincing win.

The Mules play back-to-back games this week, taking on the Dexter Bearcats in the final game of the season on Friday before gearing up for the upcoming Class 5 District 1 tournament.

“We're trying to get better every day and in every game, because it is close to win or lose and go home,” coach Durden said. “So that's what we've been working for. Come next week, all the records go out the window, and we want to get a little momentum.”