Watching the Bulldogs take apart Hannibal on Tuesday night at the Sports Complex was like looking on as a veteran crew dismantle a building. The structure’s collapse is piece by piece and inevitable.

“We came in and we knew we had to get the job done,” said foreman – senior guard, rather – Abby Oetting.

The 49-31 win gave Mexico the North Central Missouri Conference title and an 18-3 record. And on this night, coach Ed Costley’s team was methodical more than splashy.

Mia Miller curled under the rim for two. Taylor DeMint sank a three. Miller popped one in over Hannibal’s Jade Thomas.

When the Pirates would piece together a small run, Mexico would simply put more points on the board. They outscored the visitors just enough in every quarter to ensure a comfortable margin.

“We took care of business,” Costley said. “We had a good start and a good finish.”

So good, in fact, that the only time Mexico was troubled by Hannibal came in the early going.

The Pirates’ Nora Hark hit a jumper with 1:45 to go in the first quarter to make it a 9-6 game. No matter. Miller responded on a fast break, putting up a left hand roller. And Lexie Willer found a lot of real estate left conveniently vacant under the rim, converting an Oetting in bound pass into an easy bucket.

“I set a screen and rolled,” Willer said. “I was not expecting it to be so open.”

That made it 13-6. And when Hark again tried to bring the Pirates back into contention moments later, sinking a short jumper, Capri’Ona Fountain wiped out the effort by casually hitting from short range with an assist by Riley Blevins.

From that point on, the margin was never closer than 9 points.

Leading the dismantling operation for Mexico was Miller, with 15 points. Riley Thurman chimed in with 10. Oetting put up 6 and Blevins 5.

DeMint, Willer and Lizzie Joiner added 3 each while Fountain dropped in 2.

The Thurmanator tears down Fulton

Jordyn Thurman is basketball’s equivalent of Pokemon – small, but mighty.

At Fulton on Monday night, the Bulldogs’ freshman guard ignited a rally that led to a 61-39 Mexico victory. But the outlook was far from certain when she entered the game.

Down 12-10 after an 8-0 Hornets run, Thurman took a kick out pass from Riley Blevins with 35 seconds to go in the first and dropped a three from the top of the arc.

A jumper by Alex Trowbridge moments later put Fulton back on top. With time winding down, the ball ended up in Thurman’s hands again. Well out of range, she started to dribble then saw the clock.

Thurman said she heard people in the stands counting down, but knew that could be a ruse – especially on the road against a fierce rival.

“I wasn’t sure,” she added. “I looked up at the clock and thought ‘Oh shoot.’”

A fraction ahead of the buzzer, Thurman launched one from NBA three point range. It swished through the net and the Bulldogs were on top 16-14.

Thurman scored again at the start of the second quarter to extend the lead, this time on a fast break layup. Mya Miller followed with another roller, but the Hornets’ Kayanna Gaines ripped off a quick 5 points to leave Mexico clinging to a 20-19 lead.

Midway through the period, however, Thurman struck again, sinking another from three point land.

“After the first one I thought ‘maybe I should do it again, maybe it’s my night,’” she explained.

Jordyn Thurman racked up 14 points coming off the bench, equaling the always potent Riley Thurman’s total for the game.

Taylor DeMint hit from three to give the Bulldogs a little breathing room going into the break.

The Hornets never threatened after the half. Riley Thurman fought through traffic to pound one off the glass, kicking off a 9-0 Mexico run. Fulton’s Gaines and Sydney Hedgpath tried to bring it back, but fast break points – DeMint to Miller to Riley Thurman and in – a pair of Blevins free throws, a deft jumper from Capri’Ona Fountain and another Miller score closed out the quarter on an 8-0 binge.

“At the beginning we weren’t really focused,” Miller said. “Our second half is always our best.”

Miller tallied 18 points on the night to put three Bulldogs into double digit territory. DeMint added 8 to the till and Blevins netted 4.

Fountain and Elizabeth Joiner each hit jumpers and Ruby Haefling went one of two from the line.