Mules win tournament in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD -- The Mules held on twice in the span of 18 hours as Poplar Bluff won the Winter Classic title Saturday.

After beating host Glendale 70-69 on Friday, the Mules held off a late charge by Beaumont for a 60-43 win Saturday afternoon.

Jay Raulston was named tournament MVP following consecutive double-double performances and Jake White was also named to the all-tournament team, averaging 10.7 points on the three-day trip.

"We did a great job overall, finishing 3-0 you have to do something right, it wasn't a fluke," Mules coach Lamont Frazier said. "We've just got to learn that when we're in that driver's seat we've got to do a little better job of handling that wheel."

The Mules (15-3) extended their winning streak to eight, but it wasn't easy.

After building a 17-point halftime lead Saturday, Poplar Bluff saw Beaumont of St. Louis rally to within six with a 15-4 run that included 11 straight points.

The Mules took a 39-33 lead into the fourth quarter then put together a 10-1 run midway through the quarter to pull away.

"It went back to 15 in a hurry," Frazier said. "That's what this team is capable of doing, we've just got to learn how to finish."

Raulston led the Mules with 14 points and 13 rebounds and two blocks. Greg Coble scored four of his 10 points during that fourth-quarter run while Jordan Marler chipped in eight points.

The Mules finished the first quarter with a 10-4 run after Beaumont's Montez Stewart tied the game at 7. Stewart scored all 11 of the Bluejackets' first-quarter points and finished with a game-high 21 despite picking up his fourth foul early in the third quarter.

Poplar Bluff scored the first seven points of the second quarter, starting a 13-2 run capped by Coble's steal and dunk midway through the quarter. The Mules led 33-16 at halftime but managed just six points in the third quarter.

"It was really a frightening moment because it was a flashback of the past night," Frazier said.

On Friday, the Mules took a 14-point lead into the fourth quarter and held on for a 70-69 win over host Glendale.

White and Marler each reached career-high point totals while Raulston led with 21 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

White, who finished with 18 points, hit a 3-pointer to cap an 11-0 run to start the second half. The junior finished the third with another 3 following Raulston's steal and dunk as the Mules took a 58-44 lead into the fourth quarter.

Glendale (12-5) opened the fourth with a 13-2 run to pull within three and had the ball but Raulston blocked a shot. Marler hit a jumper to start a 7-2 spurt for the Mules, who led 67-59 with 1:20 to play.

Tommy Hedges, who led Glendale with 17 points, hit a 3 with 40.8 seconds left and the Falcons scored again following a steal to cut the margin to three. Raulston hit the second of two free throws to give the Mules a 70-66 advantage, but Joey Harbour hit a second-chance 3 with 5.4 left to make it a one-point game.

Poplar Bluff threw away an inbound pass with 2.6 seconds left, but Glendale's halfcourt prayer fell short.

"I felt comfortable as long as we weren't shooting free throws," Frazier said. "The last four minutes of the game was probably the longest time of the weekend. You could feel them coming back."

The Mules finished 12 of 20 from the free-throw line, missing six in the fourth quarter. Raulston finished 9 of 12, hitting 4 of 6 in the final 1:20.

Marler scored 13 points, seven during the second quarter, while Johnson added six of his eight points in the third.

There were 10 lead changes and five ties with the Mules taking a 15-14 lead into the second quarter and Glendale taking a 36-34 halftime lead. It was the first time Poplar Bluff had trailed at halftime in seven games

The Mules host Cape Central at 6 p.m. Friday for homecoming.