Rivalry Renewed: Mules beat Charleston in postseason tuneup

Poplar Bluff’s Darius Graham (2) shoots against Charleston defenders during Thursday’s high school boys basketball game at the Poplar Bluff High School gym.

DAR/D’Courtland Christian

The Poplar Bluff Mules basketball squad continues to battle through their tough stretch as they get closer to the district tournament.

The Mules went head-to-head with the Charleston Blue Jays on Thursday at Poplar Bluff High Gymnasium in a SEMO conference matchup. With three regular-season games remaining, the Mules looked to keep their winning momentum going into senior night.

On a night of celebration, the Mules showcased their offense to perfection to snag a 74-66 win over the Blue Jays. The Mules improved to 14-10 on the season and picked up their third straight win.

Senior Darius Graham led the Mules with 21 points, and he was glad to finally get a win over Charleston.

“This was a big night for all the seniors, so I was happy to walk away with the win,” Graham said. “Coming into the practice this week, everyone had a lot of energy and was ready to play, so this win meant a lot to us. Once I made my first basket, I felt good, and the energy was high. I just felt like I’d have to keep going and keep the energy up for the team so we can get to this game.”

The Mules have lost the last three matchups against the Blue Jays, so setting the tone early would be the best bet to walking away with the win.

It was a slow start for both teams, with neither landing many shots in the first couple of minutes of the game. After a few trips down the floor, the intensity quickly picked up as shots started to fall. The Blue Jays unutilized its size inside the post to land easy baskets, exposing one of the troubles the Mules have suffered this season.

The Mules didn’t rattle as they were able to capitalize on many shots from the three, keeping the game close. With their offense clicking on all cylinders, the Mules outscored the Blue Jays 17-15 to close the first. Though the Mules had the lead, one quick run could change it all if they didn’t play with the same energy for the remainder of the game.

Luckily, the Mules carried the same momentum in the second quarter to hold a 27-25 lead at the half with a last-second shot from senior Isaiah Nevel.

The Mules started to make a run midway through the third by making Charleston pay for their turnovers with many fastbreak baskets. The shots continued to fall for the Mules as they extended the lead to eight with the game’s biggest lead.

Though trailing, Charleston kept the game in close proximity, waiting for the right moment to snatch the lead. The Blue Jays got a major boost to close out the third quarter with some great play from Ko’Terrion Owens, who had 19 at the end of the quarter.

The tension was high heading into the fourth as the game was still up for grabs. Both teams started with another series of trading baskets, but Charleston would see an opening to cut the lead due to some foul trouble from the Mules.

The Mules wouldn’t be bothered as they collected back-to-back threes, extending the score back to nine and ultimately winning the game.

Mar’Lon Hickman-Roberson was the second leading scoring for the Mules with 17 points. Brendan Durden had 14 points, while Preston Moore had 10.

Owens led the Blu Jays with 32 points.

Head Coach Will Durden said despite the Mules recent tough stretch, they have stuck to the same gameplan that they had at the beginning of the season and that’s to learn and get better after each game.

“It’s a nice win to come away with because the emotions were high for senior night,” Durden said. “I had to remind them that the win is nice, but we still have two more games left in the season and we have to stay focused. We beat a good team and we just need to play the same each game. We’re just trying to get better every day. It’s been our motto for the years I’ve been here, just take it one game at a time and get better every game and that’s all we can do.”

The Mules will play again on Monday as they host the Jackson Indians at 1 p.m.