Bluff vs. Parkway North and West

Poplar Bluff will face a pair of Parkway schools Wednesday night at the Farmington Civic Center. The Mules tipoff at 6 p.m. against Parkway West followed by the Lady Mules at 7:45 p.m. against Parkway North.

Here's a preview of the games:

BOYS

Of the 16 district champions in Class 5, the Poplar Bluff Mules have the fewest wins. But while their 17-9 record may not look as pretty, a tough regular-season schedule may have the Mules ready for a playoff run.

"If you look at our schedule it's been like the playoffs all year," Mules coach Lamont Frazier said. "I think from that standpoint, for us, it's just another game. That's the way we have to approach it."

The Mules will make their first state playoff appearance since 2006 when they play Parkway West (22-6) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Farmington Civic Center.

Poplar Bluff's losses since the start of 2009 consist of at Charleston (the 2007 Class 3 champs), Notre Dame (two-time defending Class 4 champs), a seven-point loss at Glendale and a two-point loss at Parkway South.

The Longhorns come into the game having won three straight, including a 53-36 win over Marquette in the district final, and 10 of their last 11, losing at District 3 champ Kirkwood on Feb. 17.

"They're coming into this with a pretty good record and really have had momentum on their side all year long," Frazier said.

West features four players averaging 8.2 points or more points per game and a senior guard in Jerry Pankey, who averages 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game, that scored 11 in the district final.

"I think they're well balanced in terms of what they're trying to do," Frazier said. "They've got four guys in particular I think do a good job of feeding off one another."

Dan Tobik, a 6-3 senior forward, leads West with 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while 6-2 junior forward Patrick Sodemann is averaging 12.7 points. Chris Willis, a 5-9 senior guard, is averaging 8.5 points and 2.8 assists while 6-5 sophomore Larry Toomey is averaging 8.2 points and 5.1 rebounds.

Tobik scored 25 points in the two district games and has been the Longhorns' leading scorer on most nights recently.

Poplar Bluff's leading scorer Riley Raulston, who averaged 17.7 points during the regular season, scored 17 in the two district games as the main focus of opposing defenses.

Frazier said following the district final Friday night that the senior is starting to understand that he doesn't need to score 30 points a night.

"Our best attribute is having him on the floor making positive plays," Frazier said. "I thought he did a great job of that (Friday)."

Instead, the offense has come from senior Chris Kilgore and junior Jay Raulston, who each scored 18 points in the final. Poplar Bluff's bench is also averaging 14.5 points per game.

On the other end, the Mules improved to 10-1 when holding an opponent to under 50 points by holding Cape Central to 48. The lone setback was to Greene County Tech (Ark.) in which the Mules scored a season-low 36 points but only trailed by a point at halftime.

"I thought our defense has come a long way," Frazier said. "I think guys are getting comfortable in their roles in terms of how we defend. I think they're enjoying it."

West is averaging 56.1 points per game this season but has scored 60 or more in five of their last eight. With such a balanced attack by the Longhorns, the Mules will have to defend as a team.

"We're in control of our own destiny," Frazier said. "It's just a matter of whether we can collectively keep it together and have fun doing it."

Wednesday's Games

Poplar Bluff (17-9) vs. Parkway West (22-6) at Farmington Civic Center

Kirkwood (18-10) vs. Chaminade (23-4) at UM-St. Louis: Kirkwood knocked off the defending Class 5 champions in district play while Chaminade was ranked No. 7 in the last state poll.

Rock Bridge (25-2) vs. Waynesville (21-6) at Union HS: Rock Bridge is ranked No. 4 and is trying to work their way back to Columbia.

Branson (26-2) vs. Springfield Central (25-3) at Southwest Baptist: One of two sectional pairings with both teams ranked, Branson is No. 9 to Central's No. 8. Branson beat the only two teams they lost to during the regular season to win the district.

Lafayette (19-8) vs. Hazelwood Central (25-3) at Northwest HS: Central, ranked No. 3, beat McCluer in the district final by a point.

Oakville (21-7) vs. Zumwalt South (20-7) at Meramec CC

Grandview (26-1) vs. Lee's Summit West (24-3) at Staley HS: No. 1 Grandview meets No. 2 West.

William Chrisman vs. Liberty (22-5) at St. Joseph Civic Center: WC is ranked No. 10.

GIRLS

Poplar Bluff's opponent will be bigger than the Lady Mules at the MSHSAA sectional playoff Wednesday, but what else is new?

With just three players 5-foot-8 or taller, the Lady Mules have been in similar situations all season long. Parkway North features a pair of 6-footers, however, the real height disparity is at the guard spot.

While the Lady Mules starting guards are 5-2 and 5-3, North starts 5-6 and 5-7 guards.

"They have some impressive personnel," Lady Mules coach Kirk Chronister said. "They have real good size and they have some quickness at the guard spot.

"It's going to be a challenge for us," he added. "We're going to have to play well."

The challenge starts at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Farmington Civic Center.

The Lady Mules (16-11) were able to contain Cape Central's 6-1 Wendi Zickfield with a 1-2-2 zone in the District 1 championship game for a 54-37 win. Chronister said that zone, which Poplar Bluff didn't use much of during the regular season, may be called upon again.

North (25-2) features 6-2 senior Kianna Hogan and 6-foot junior Rebekah Keller but the Vikings are led by 5-7 senior Kelli French, who scored 19 in the District 2 final, a 57-53 win over Pattonville.

Hogan is averaging 9.7 points and a team-best 6.2 rebounds per game while French leads the team with 11.9 points. Alexis Sutton, a 5-7 senior, averages 10.9 points and is the leading 3-point shooter for North, which has won 16 straight.

"You'll probably see us play some 1-2-2 zone, one reason is their size," Chronister said. "One advantage we have in that is we can front and back anybody they put on the low post."

North's last loss came Jan. 13 at Ladue while the Lady Mules have won three straight after losing consecutive games to ranked opponents. The Vikings are ranked No. 9 in Class 5 and will be Poplar Bluff's 10th ranked opponent from Missouri this season.

After starting the season 3-6 and losing senior Jasmin Sumrall to a knee injury, the Lady Mules went 13-5 the rest of the way. This season, 11 of their games have been decided by single digits, including five by a single point.

If another tight game is in store for Wednesday night, every possession will be key. The Lady Mules will need to avoid another 19-turnover performance like in the district final.

"We're not going to be able to do that against Parkway North and be able to give them extra chances to score," Chronister said. "I'm a little concerned about that. Offensively, we struggle many times when they have big kids inside."

To open up the paint, the Lady Mules will need to hit open shots from the outside like they did during the district tournament. Poplar Bluff shot 38.7 percent from 3-point range in the two district games, up from 32.4 percent during the regular season.

Ruthie Johnson, who scored a game-high 13 points in the final, and Miranda Burroughs lead Poplar Bluff in 3-point shooting and are among the five players that return from last year's appearance in the state playoffs.

The Lady Mules lost to Nerinx Hall in each of their last two trips to the playoffs, last year in the sectional and in the quarterfinals of 2005.

"It's not anything new for them," Chronister said of his team. "They've got experience, they've been to these games and hopefully it's just going to be something that's exciting for them, something to build on.

"I think they're confident. We're just looking forward to it."

Wednesday's Games

Poplar Bluff (16-11) vs. Parkway North (25-2) at Farmington Civic Center

Nerinx Hall (21-7) vs. St. Joseph's (19-9) at UM-St. Louis: No. 8 St. Joe upset No. 3 Incarnate Word in the District 4 final and will face No. 10 Hall, which won its final by a point.

Rock Bridge (23-4) vs. Waynesville (17-10) at Union HS: Rock Bridge is ranked No. 5

Nixa (25-2) vs. Neosho (21-6) at Southwest Baptist: No. 1 Nixa needed a last-second free throw to beat Kickapoo in the district final.

Parkway South (25-3) vs. Hazelwood Central (23-2) at Northwest HS: First meeting between these ranked teams. South has won 12 straight after losing to Poplar Bluff.

Oakville (15-12) vs. Ft. Zumwalt West (23-4) at Meramec CC: Both teams coming off close district final wins: Oakville 36, Cor Jesu Academy 32 and Zumwalt West 50, Francis Howell Central 46.

Raytown vs. Blue Springs (25-2) at Staley HS: Blue Springs is ranked No. 4.

Truman (19-8) vs. Liberty (16-11) at St. Joseph Civic Center.