Adrian Webb and his Poplar Bluff teammates watched Cordova's Tyler Harris score 44 points in three quarters during the first day of the 31st annual Poplar Bluff Showdown.
Facing the Wolves and Harris in the semifinal Thursday night, the Mules looked to just slow down the senior guard.
"I think our gameplan was if we could give up 40 and we still won we'd be OK with that," Mules coach William Durden said.
Harris ended up with 31 points but didn't hit a 3-pointer until the second half. Poplar Bluff, meanwhile, got 3s from four different players in the first quarter, racing out to a 13-point advantage to beat Cordova (Tenn.) 89-72 at the Senior High Gym.
The Mules (6-4) advanced to the championship game for the ninth time and will face defending champion Jonesboro (Ark.) at 7 p.m. Friday as both teams seek their third title. The Hurricanes (9-1) advanced to the final for a third straight year with a 76-65 win over CBC.
"We're ready. We're ready for a challenge," Webb said. "We said we wanted this before the tournament started so now we're in a position to where we can really put together everything we've been working on."
Poplar Bluff's Rodney Houston scored 17 points, Dominique Hardimon had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds while reserves Joseph Hardimon (14 points) and Carlton McDonald (11) each scored career highs. Xander Martin sank three first-half 3-pointers in scoring 13 points as the Mules went 10 for 19 from 3-point range, a season-best total.
"We're one of those teams that tend to play a lot better on defense when we're hitting shots," said Webb, one of six players to hit a 3-pointer.
Harris, who came into the tournament averaging 32 points per game and had a 54-point night earlier this season, finished a point shy of the Showdown scoring record Wednesday. He sank nine 3-pointers, some from the volleyball line and one near the snout of the Mules mid-court logo, but didn't connect from long range until the second half Thursday. Six of his 10 first-half points came from the free-throw line before hitting five 3-pointers in the second half. He finished 5 for 15 after missing his first five 3-point attempts.
"We just tried not to let him get going," said Webb, one of several players to guard Harris. "In the halfcourt, I tried to deny him the ball, tried to keep a hand up on him. He likes to pull up from deep, somebody who's hit from the volleyball line, so my plan was to get in him, make him drive it."
Cordova's first field goal came on a Harris drive but the Mules were already up 7-1 and it was 3:13 into the game.
Martin opened with a 3 in the corner off a pass from Dominique Hardimon who later scored before two free throws by Rowland for a quick 7-0 lead.
The Wolves (10-4) got within 9-5 before Poplar Bluff ended the quarter on a 13-4 run. Joseph Hardimon sank a 3-pointer and McDonald followed with another to put the Mules up 17-5. Cline's 3 came in the closing minute as Poplar Bluff took a 22-9 lead into the second quarter.
Cordova got within nine with 6:43 left in the half but Dominique Hardimon answered and the Mules were able to extend their lead to 29-15 at the midway mark of the quarter.
Rowland's 3 came after Cordova got within 10 while Houston saved an offensive rebound off a missed 3-pointer from going out of bounds and found Martin in the corner for a 3 for a 40-26 lead a minute later.
Martin's 3 off a pass from Houston in the opposite corner pushed the lead to 15 in the closing minute before the Mules took a 45-31 advantage into the half.
"It's been nice, we've made a couple of 3s the lsat couple of games," Durden said. "We struggled the first four games of the year."
After their 11-point, fourth-quarter lead was trimmed to a bucket in the opener, the Mules saw Cordova rally in the third quarter. Harris sank a 3 with 65 seconds left to cut Poplar Bluff's lead to eight.
But the Mules answered when Webb found Carlton for a wide-open layin and Carlton knocked down a 3-pointer following a technical foul on Cordova's Bruce Guy.
The Mules took a 62-49 lead into the fourth and led by as much as 17. They answered a Cordova score six times before the Wolves put together a 5-1 swing to get within 12 with just under two minutes to play. Cordova missed a chance to get closer and Houston came away with the rebound before sinking two foul shots.
A night after missing 10 free throws, Houston was 9 of 10 at the line as Poplar Bluff went a combined 23 of 30.
The Mules held a plus-10 rebounding advantage that included eight from Houston and five by Cline.
"We kept attacking the basket and that's something we didn't do in the four losses that we had this year," Durden said. "If we continue to grow, whatever happens (in the final), I think we've gotten better in this tournament."