Notre Dame edges Mules at SEMO Conference Tournament

Poplar Bluff’s Jay Edmundson (left) charges the basket against Notre Dame’s Brett Dohogne during the first round of the SEMO Conference Tournament on Tuesday at the Sikeston Field House.

DAR/Robert Augsdorfer

SIKESTON — Tuesday’s opening round of the SEMO Conference Tournament was a tough one to swallow for the Poplar Bluff boys basketball team as the Mules dropped a tight one against Notre Dame 41-37.

“It comes down to that we need to grow as team,” Poplar Bluff coach William Durden said. “We didn’t execute down late and they did. Our inexperience kind of showed a little bit, but we’re going to get better.”

The Mules were up 19-13 at halftime after a slow first half for both teams, but Notre Dame went on a 7-2 run to put the Bulldogs to within two points in the first three minutes of the third.

Notre Dame eventually caught up with the Mules as the Bulldogs’ Brett Dohogne dropped a 3-point bucket to tie it up at 26. However, Poplar Bluff got one more basket to fall to go up 28-26 heading into the final eight minutes.

Much like the beginning of the third, Notre Dame shot out of the gate in the fourth on a 9-2 run to make it 35-30 Bulldogs before the game was halted with 5:02 remaining due to a malfunction with the scoreboard.

When the game was restarted, the Mules were able to claw their way back with a 7-2 run — a run capped off with a breakaway dunk by Brendan Durden to tie it up at 37 with just over two minutes to go.

Unfortunately, Brendan Durden also got a technical foul called for hanging too long on the rim on the dunk — and Dohogne knocked down one of his two technical foul free throws to give the lead right back to Notre Dame.

“The main thing is that we need to keep playing (when calls don’t go our way),” coach Durden said.

Brendan Durden almost tied it back up at 40 with 15 seconds remaining with a shot from the top of the 3-point arc, but the ball just rimmed out as Notre Dame was able to salt the game away away from the free-throw line.

Brendan Durden led the Mules offense with 18 points, while his younger brother Sammy Durden had eight points and 11 rebounds.

For Notre Dame, Dohogne ended his night with 23 points and Kolton Johnson also was in double figures with 11.

The Mules will take on either Dexter or Sikeston in the consolation bracket at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.