SIKESTON -- Poplar Bluff's early season problems have been consistent.
The Lady Mules have faded in the fourth quarter in all three games so far and it has cost them a pair of leads. Most recently, Poplar Bluff lost 52-41 to Saxony Lutheran in the third-place game of the SEMO Conference Tournament. Poplar Bluff also lost to Jackson 48-42 in the semifinals and beat Sikeston 63-59 in the first round.
"The big thing is, we just have to continue executing. We just had our moments where we struggled. Part of that is being young, part of it is it being early in the year," Poplar Bluff coach John David Pattillo said. "I think it is just something we have to focus on. Overall we are playing pretty good basketball."
Poplar Bluff (1-2) led going into the fourth quarter, but struggled with turnovers as Saxony Lutheran pressured the ball.
"I think we are playing much better defense than we have in the past few years," Pattillo said. "The runs that have been made are because we are not scoring enough to build leads and continue to build throughout the game."
Kiley Bess led the Mules with 12 points and Katie Pattillo added 10 after making three 3-pointers.
"We're not shooting the ball too poorly. We didn't show it great from the free-throw line," Pattillo said. "We are playing good folks and we just have to learn how to win. That is the biggest issue."
The Mules play next in the SEMO Border Challenge at Dexter. They play East St. Louis (Ill.) at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, followed by Tupelo (Miss.) at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Olive Branch (Miss.) at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.
"Again we have to handle pressure in the toughest part of the game," Pattillo said of the upcoming schedule. "We threw it around quite a bit last night late when they were pressing us and we are a better team than that."