The last unbeaten team left in SEMO Conference play?
That would be the Poplar Bluff Mules following a 76-36 win over New Madrid County Central on Tuesday night. But there's a long road ahead to claim the first conference title since 2006.
"We don't take any win or any game in the SEMO Conference for granted because on any given night it doesn't matter what a record is or who you're playing, you're in for a battle," Mules coach William Durden said.
Poplar Bluff (11-7, 3-0 SEMO) showed that against the Eagles (4-14, 1-4), scoring the first 10 points and the final 14 of the half in building a 30-point lead.
Poplar Bluff's Tyler Cline scored a career-high 18 points while fellow reserve Carlton McDonald added a career-best 14 points and nine rebounds. Dominique Hardimon scored 11 of his 17 points in the second quarter when the Mules scored 31, the most of any single quarter this season. Rodney Houston added 10 points and five rebounds while Nik Rowland had seven rebounds.
It was the most lop-sided win of the season. The Mules also beat Central by 32 in the conference tournament back in December.
"I appreciate the kids' effort because we could have not came out and played hard," Durden said. "That would have been a letdown for us."
After holding Twin Rivers scoreless in the first 10 minutes of Saturday's win, the Mules pitched a shutout for 4 minutes, 45 seconds before Central got on the board with a fastbreak basket. The Mules, however, were already ahead 10 as the Eagles missed their first nine shots and turned the ball over three times.
A steal and a second-chance point got Central within 10-4 but Cline answered with a 3 off a pass and the Mules took a 16-8 lead into the second quarter.
"I think we gave up three offensive rebounds and then we talked about it during the timeout and they really shut that down," Durden said of a 38-26 rebounding advantage for the Mules.
Poplar Bluff scored 11 straight points in a little over a minute of the second quarter to build a 31-11 lead. The run started with McDonald's 3 and a drive to Hardimon. McDonald then got a steal pressing and scored before a steal by Houston, who set up Cline for a layin. Another steal led to another layin by Cline and the Mules were up 20 with 5 minutes left in the half.
Turnovers also helped fuel a 14-point run to end the half over the final 3 minutes.
Hardimon put an exclamation point on the run and the half when the junior dunked over a defender with 2 seconds left, giving the Mules a 47-17 halftime advantage.
In the first half, Poplar Bluff shot 60.7 percent from the field, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range.
"We make shots when we guard better," Durden said. "We make shots when we penetrate and kick and we're looking for that next best shot. Our guys shoot it well. We've been trying to work on that.
"Our shooting percentage speaks for itself when we do it."
While the Mules are 3-0 in conference play, four teams have just one loss in a crowded race.
The Mules now must travel to state-ranked Sikeston (16-1, 3-1) on Friday and to Notre Dame a week later before turning around and playing Jackson the following day. Then there's a trip to Dexter followed two days later with Charleston, which at 5-1 sits in the driver's seat.
Poplar Bluff has not beaten Sikeston since 2009, a string of 11 straight losses.
"We're going to have to send a couple back and even then it's hard to slow those guys down," Durden said of Sikeston's uptempo style. "They're going to press and they're going to be real physical, be really active. It seems like you're playing against eight different people at a time over there."
NOTES
Poplar Bluff won the junior varsity game 57-53. The Mules improved to 8-4 and were led by Chance Campbell's 17 points and 15 by Nequivion Borders. ...Poplar Bluff's freshmen team ended its season with a 54-51 win to finish 8-6. ...Hardimon scored his 800th career point Tuesday in his 43rd game.