FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Poplar Bluff saw a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter vanish, missed a shot at the end of regulation and lost after an unlikely 3-pointer during the final minute of overtime Tuesday night.
Farmington senior Seth Polus put the Knights ahead by a point with a long, off-balanced, well-guarded 3-pointer and Cameron Friend added two free throws with 15 seconds remaining in overtime to beat Poplar Bluff 80-77.
"He just threw it up," Mules coach William Durden said of the go-ahead 3-pointer. "But if you let a home team in their own gym get close that's usually what they'll do, they'll find a way."
The Mules (7-5), coming off three tough wins to take the Poplar Bluff Showdown title, fell to 4-4 in games decided by single digits. They led by 12 at the start of the fourth quarter and 10 with just over 4 1/2 to go.
Farmington (6-5) put together a 12-2 run to pull even at 65-all with 2 1/2 minutes left.
"We had our shot," Durden said. "Had them on the ropes, they started pressuring to get back in the game. We didn't execute. Missed layups, lot of open shots."
Dominique Hardimon, who led the Mules with 27 points, scored off his own missed and sank a free throw for a 68-65 lead with just under 2 minutes to play but the junior picked up an offensive foul, his fifth, and headed to the bench 15 seconds later to join Nik Rowland, who also fouled out.
Bryce Sancegraw sank two free throws for the lead but Rodney Houston answered with a three-point play on a drive down the left side of the lane. Friend tied it with 51 seconds left and the Mules set up for the last shot.
Houston, who scored 19 points, missed a runner down the left side of the lane but senior Adrian Webb prevented the Knights from getting a last-second shot with a steal at midcourt.
"After we coughed up the lead we guarded a couple of stretches down late," Durden said. "We've got to concentrate more when we have that lead."
Twice in overtime, Houston sank two free throws to pull the Mules even, the second coming with 70 seconds to play.
Tyler Cline then got part of a pass that Xander Martin stole in the paint and threw ahead to Cline for a go-ahead layin with a minute left.
Polus, who had not played in the first three quarters, got the ball on the left wing about 2 feet behind the 3-point line. With a defender on his right hip, the senior got off his only shot of the game that rolled in to give the Knights a 78-77 advantage.
Houston looked to put the Mules back in front when the senior headed down the lane with a spin move but he was whistled for a traveling violation with 17.5 seconds left.
Farmington inbounded the ball to Friend who was trapped but fouled and sank two free throws. The Knights then got a steal by Jackson Shrum but Joseph Hardimon stole it back and the Mules called timeout with 3.5 seconds left. The inbound pass was broken up and Poplar Bluff never got off a shot.
The Knights last beat the Mules in 2014 but two of the last three meetings were decided by four points each.
Joseph Hardimon scored 11 points, Cline and Martin each added eight for the Mules.
Brendon Hardy led Farmington with 28 points while Friend added 13 and Shrum 11.
"We've lost four games this year up multiple points and kind of gave them away at the end," Durden said.
The Mules scored 10 straight points in the first quarter to take a 16-6 lead. Farmington got back within six but Joseph Hardimon's putback gave Poplar Bluff a 23-14 lead heading into the second.
The Knights later tied it at 31-all with an 8-2 run but Dominique Hardimon broke the tie with a shot in the paint and Cline later sank a corner 3 to extend a 1-point advantage.
Poplar Bluff led 37-34 at halftime and put together a 12-4 run that pushed the Mules up 11 with 3:47 left in the third. Houston found Hardimon sneaking in the back door for a three-point play before the junior got a defensive rebound and scored on the other end for a 54-39 lead.
But the Knights outscored Poplar Bluff 32-17 over the next nine minutes to force overtime.
During Farmington's 12-2 run in the fourth quarter, the Mules missed 2 of 4 free throws, a transition layin and a dunk while also turning it over and giving up a putback and five foul shots.
"There's no team that's going to (give in), we've got to understand that," Durden said. "We've got to finish out games."
Poplar Bluff's road gets tougher this weekend when the Mules face two of the top five teams in Illinois.
First, they meet Chicago Curie which is ranked No. 3 in Class 4A, the largest in Illinois, at McCracken County High School in Paducah, Kentucky at 8:30 p.m. Friday. The Condors (10-2), coming off a loss to top-ranked Chicago Simeon, are led by junior Marquise Walker.
Then, the Mules travel to Highland (Ill.) for a 4:45 p.m. tipoff Saturday against Belleville West, ranked No. 4 in Illinois. The Maroons (12-1) are coming off a title win at the 75th Centralia (Ill.) tournament and are led by junior EJ Liddell.
"We've just got to keep getting better," Durden said. "Keep grinding."
NOTES
Farmington won the junior varsity game Tuesday 55-46. Josiah Kilgore and Chance Campbell each scored 12 points to lead the Mules while Jamarre Sellers added 10. ... In the freshman game Tuesday, Farmington beat the Mules 42-41. Preston Taylor scored 12 and Marquis Johnson added nine to lead Poplar Bluff.