Darren Pappas wasn’t surprised at his team’s 5-0 start.

 His Mexico Bulldogs returned a handful of experienced players from last year’s 22-4 squad, so he knew what they were capable of. 

He was also aware that Kirksville was unbeaten, there were 94.8 miles (give or take) separating the two towns and that no game is a gimme.

 “Anytime you go to Kirksville it’s tough,” he explained. “It’s such a long bus ride and they were 5-0 coming in and undefeated in conference, so we knew it wasn’t going to be an easy task.”

 So, when the Bulldogs fell behind 18-10 after the first quarter, Pappas and his team stayed calm and locked in on defense, going on a 22-12 run in the second.

 The contest remained tight, with Mexico leading 48-43 to start the fourth.

 But a change to a zone defense with some pressure mixed in led to Kirksville turnovers and the Bulldogs closed things out to secure a 60-47 win.

 Pappas highlighted the play of seniors Michael White and Peyton Willer in the game’s late stages.

“He did a good job of creating offense at times when we needed it and played really good defensive down the stretch,” he said of White, who finished with nine points, two boards and two steals. 

Willer finished with two points and “five big rebounds late in the game to limit them to one shot and out,” Pappas noted.

The undersized Bulldogs cleaned the glass efficiently and took advantage of their quickness, scoring 22 points in transition and tallying 48 points in the paint.

“We were able to break them down in our pick-and-roll offense, get to the rim and finish around the basket,” Pappas explained. “Don’t get me wrong, they did a good job mixing it up defensively, but credit to our guys for being able to create off the dribble, setting good screens and then getting in the paint.” 

Senior Isaiah Reams and sophomore DJ Long were the tip of the spear, leading the Bulldogs with 23 points and 12 points, respectively. Long also chipped in six boards, while senior Daeye Miller was a Swiss-Army knife for the visiting Bulldogs, scoring 10 points, snaring 12 rebounds and adding four steals for good measure. 

“He just did it all,” Pappas said of Miller. “Defensively he got after it on top of our press and does a really good job.”

 Mexico improved to 6-0 on the year after toppling Kirksville in the battle of unbeatens. They then moved up to the No. 3 spot in Class 4 of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Poll, released Wednesday.

Still, Pappas and the Bulldogs remain unfazed.

“The ranking is great and it shows that our hard work is paying off,” he said. “But other than that, it’s just a number, honestly.”

“The mindset with our guys, and we continue to remind them,” Pappas continued, “You’ve got to keep putting in the work and take it one game at a time.”