CORINTH, Miss. -- Leading by two points with a minute to play, the Poplar Bluff boys basketball team took care of business Friday night.
The Mules held off host Corinth (Miss.) for a 58-55 win at the Lighthouse Thanksgiving Classic.
"I think that's a learning experience," Mules coach William Durden said. "We lost three games down late last year, including a big one in districts. That's kind of sticking in the guys' memory.
"We held on, worked some clock. I think we're growing up a little bit."
Poplar Bluff (2-0) overcame a seven-point deficit in the first half when Rodney Houston scored eight of his 15 points. His steal and one-handed jam put the Mules up nine with 4:56 left in the fourth quarter but it was Poplar Bluff's final field goal as the Warriors chipped away.
Dominique Hardimon, who scored 24 points on 11 of 16 shooting and had nine rebounds, fouled out with 1:23 to play on an offensive foul with the Mules up 56-54.
Corinth (1-3) turned the ball over with 58 seconds to play and the Warriors had two fouls to give before putting Poplar Bluff in the bonus. The Mules were able to burn 44 seconds, inbounding the ball three times in the process.
Tyler Cline split two free throws with 14 seconds to play for a 57-54 lead then fouled Corinth's leading scorer with eight seconds left. Tada Strickland, who has signed to play at Morehead State University and led the Warriors with 21 points, missed the first free throw but sank the second.
Corinth fouled Adrian Webb and the senior sank 1 of 2 free throws with three seconds to play. JonD Warren's 3 at the buzzer was short as the Mules escaped.
"They were an extremely athletic team," Durden said of the Warriors, who won a state championship in 2016 and started the season ranked No. 2 in 4A.
Corinth overcame a poor shooting performance --32.8 percent from the field and 6 of 26 from 3-point range -- with 21 offensive rebounds while also forcing 20 turnovers by the Mules. Warren had five steals, including one just before he sank a 3 with just under two minutes remaining. He finished with 16 points.
The Mules shot 64 percent from the field in the first half, attempting just one 3-pointer, to take a 35-30 lead into the break.
"We shot layups," Durden said. "We worked the ball and shot layups. Kind of nice to see, especially this early in the season."
The Warriors led 21-14 after one quarter thanks to an 11-4 run.
Poplar Bluff surged ahead in the second quarter with a 13-4 run that started with a three-point play by Hardimon. Houston, who had nine rebounds, five assists and sank 7 of 9 shots, capped the run with six straight points.
Carlton McDonald, who hit 4 of 6 shots including Poplar Bluff's lone 3-pointer of the night to scored nine points off the bench, put the Mules up 35-30 off a long pass in transition from Hardimon who came away with a defensive rebound.
"I think we did a really good job during that stretch to close out defensive possessions," Durden said of the second-quarter run. "We just have to get a lot more consistent with that."
A 3-pointer by Warren early in the third quarter tied the game at 35-all. Hardimon scored consecutive baskets and Joseph Hardimon later scored to put the Mules up 41-35.
Poplar Bluff missed a shot to take a double-digit lead late in the third and were up 47-41 at the start of the fourth.
McDonald's 3 started a 7-2 spurt early in the fourth quarter. The junior had four steals and six rebounds off the bench for the Mules.
Nik Rowland had six rebounds, a block, a steal and two assists for Poplar Bluff. Dominique Hardimon had two blocks and two steals.
Corinth sank 9 of 20 free throws and Strickland shot 9 of 26 from the field but five different players had multiple offensive rebounds.
"We did a really poor job of keeping them off the boards," Durden said.
The Mules will open the SEMO Conference Tournament in Sikeston at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5 against Cape Central. The loser plays at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6 while the winner plays at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7 in the semifinal.