DEXTER -- The Poplar Bluff Mules busted Dexter's zone defense in the second quarter, gained some momentum and beat the Bearcats 55-26 Tuesday night at the Bearcat Event Center.
The Mules (14-8) closed the second quarter with a 13-1 run to take a 28-16 halftime lead and keep pace with SEMO Conference front-runners Charleston and Sikeston, who both were victorious Tuesday night. All three teams are 6-1 in league play with one game left.
"After they controlled the tempo for almost all of the first quarter, I thought our guys did a good job pressuring them a little bit and getting them out of what they wanted to do," Mules coach William Durden said. "We caused a couple of turnovers and got some points in transition. We're a lot better when we play like that."
The Bearcats (17-7, 2-4 SEMO) controlled the tempo of the game early with their zone defense. They built a 10-2 lead. Alan Pippins' floater, Joe Rice's 3-pointer and Seth Rogers' two free throws gave them a 7-0 lead.
The Mules didn't score their first point until Nik Rowland made a long baseline jumper with 3:15 to play in the first, cutting Dexter's lead to 7-2.
Gabe Jackson, who led Dexter with 10 points, scored the next three points to push Dexter's lead to 10-2, but the Mules closed the quarter strong. Rowland scored on a putback, and Tyler Cline made a 3-pointer right before the buzzer to cut the lead to 10-7.
Jackson scored from inside to open the second quarter, and the Mules' Dominique Hardimon scored a three-point play to trim Dexter's lead to 12-10.
With 6:07 left in the second quarter, Jackson was called for his third foul and was sent to the bench for the rest of the half, and the Mules responded.
"(Jackson) going out with three (fouls) helped us a lot," Durden said. "He's a good player and a load down there in the paint. He's kind of a force down on defense. When he went out, (that) definitely helped us open it up a little bit. We could run and jump a little more without worrying about that anchor in the low post."
Cline sank a 3-pointer 18 seconds later to give the Mules' a 13-12 advantage, their first lead of the game.
Cline scored a career-high 19 points to lead all scorers. The junior is averaging 14.6 points over the last five games.
Rice made his second 3-pointer with 2:55 to play to tie the score at 15 after Hardimon had given the Mules' a three-point advantage with a pull-up jumper.
That's when Hardimon sparked the half-closing rally. He hit two free throws to put the Mules ahead to stay. Rodney Houston finished a fast break with a layup. Cline made the third of his six 3-pointers, and Houston, who finished with 10 points, followed with a steal and layup for a 24-15 lead with 1:47 left in the half.
Hardimon, who finished with 11 points, completed a fastbreak off a defensive rebound, and Carlton McDonald recorded a steal and a layup for a 28-15 lead.
Seth Rogers stopped the 13-0 run with a free throw with 8.7 seconds left.
The Mules appeared to take a 31-15 lead at the break after Jaylen Lathon made a 3-pointer just before the buzzer. However, the basket was waved off because Rogers received only one free throw while the Bearcats were in the double bonus.
After Jackson's putback opened the third-quarter scoring, the Mules made three straight 3-pointers to take a 37-18 lead. Cline made the first two, and McDonald sank the third.
"It was big," Durden said of the Mules' hot start to the third quarter. "We stretched the lead out a little bit. That way we could spread the ball out and make them guard, kind of get (them) out the zone."
Nate Gargas made a free throw with 5:40 left in the third to stop the Mules' 9-0 surge, but Houston followed with a jumper, Cline made two free throws and Hardimon scored inside to complete a 14-1 run, giving the Mules a commanding 42-19 lead.
Dexter cut its deficit to 17 with a 6-0 run. Pippins made a 3-pointer, Jackson scored inside and made one of five free throws, cutting the team's deficit to 42-25.
The Bearcats made only 7 of 20 free throws.
A basket by Joseph Hardimon, who returned from an ankle injury after missing six games, and a dunk by Houston extended the Mules' lead to 46-25, and Rogers' free throw with 2.9 seconds left made their lead 20 points.
The Mules opened the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run and then ran out the final four-plus minutes. Dexter didn't come out and guard the Mules, who held the ball just inside the half-court line.
The game was physical and testy at times, particularly in the fourth quarter when at least two fans were ejected from the game. Dexter coach Josh Dowdy was issued a technical foul in the third quarter, and at least two players were warned by officials for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Dowdy was unavailable for comment after the game.
The Bearcats played without Clay Mullins, who missed his third-straight game because of an ankle injury, and Dawson Kasting, who was fouled hard in their win over Kennett on Friday night. They were already without Ben Sindle, who injured his knee earlier this season.
Dexter will host Notre Dame on Tuesday night and Cape Central on Feb. 22 to conclude the regular season.
The Mules host Charleston on Thursday. With a win and a Sikeston loss at Jackson on Tuesday, Poplar Bluff can claim its first conference title since 2006. Charleston holds the tiebreaker over Sikeston, which beat the Mules and can claim the title if Poplar Bluff wins and the Bulldogs beat Jackson.
Dexter won the junior varsity game 53-49 in double overtime.