SIKESTON, Mo. -- Cold shooting and Demarcus Sharp proved to be the thorns in Poplar Bluff's side Friday night.
Sharp scored a game-high 23 points, and the second-seeded Charleston Bluejays beat the Mules 54-40 in the consolation final of the SEMO Conference Tournament at the Sikeston Field House.
"We're trying to force the ball into the post instead of settling from 3s," Poplar Bluff coach William Durden said. "We settled for a lot of 3s in the first half. We were 1 for 10 or 1 for 11. We've just got a team that mentally can't handle when the ball doesn't go in the basket."
Sharp scored 12 of his points in the fourth, outscoring the Mules.
"We're having to extend our defense because we're down and the lane opened up and he's a good ballplayer. He finishes with either hand," Durden said.
The Bluejays (5-3) opened the quarter with an 11-0 run ignited by a 3-pointer by Samuel Bledsoe, who finished with 10 points. Sharp scored the next eight points.
"In the third quarter, we had it within four (but) for four or five possessions in the fourth quarter, they hit a 3 two minutes in and then we quit," Durden said.
After the Mules (3-2) committed one of their 19 turnovers, Bledsoe's behind-the-back pass to Sharp on a fastbreak resulted in a three-point play.
Sharp, who went 6 for 6 from the free-throw line, made the free throws and converted another three-point play to give Charleston a 46-31 lead with 5:07 left in the game.
Rodney Houston's putback interrupted the run, but the Bluejays scored the next six points to finish off the Mules.
The lead changed hands five times in the first quarter before Charleston went ahead to stay on Latrell Porter's three-point play with 3:43 left in the quarter put the Bluejays ahead 9-8.
Charleston stretched its lead to 15-10 by the start of the second quarter and to 31-24 by halftime.
The Mules twice closed their deficit to two points early in the second. Nik Rowland's putback cut Charleston's lead to 15-12, and Carlton McDonald's 3-pointer sliced it to 17-15.
Bledsoe made two 3-pointers in the quarter to aid the Bluejays' push to a seven-point halftime advantage.
Sharp's three-point play opened scoring in the third quarter, and the Bluejays increased their lead to 33-24. Rowland scored with 45 seconds left in the third quarter, and the Mules trailed 35-31 by the beginning of the fourth.
Dominique Hardimon paced the Mules with 16 points, and Rowland finished with eight.
The Mules will host Soldan International on Friday night at the Senior High Gym then host Vianney the following afternoon in the Mules Booster Club Shootout that also features Jackson.