Mexico sophomore Michael White (11) plays defense during a 63-31 home win over Elsberry on Wednesday night. [Matthew Antonic/The Mexico Ledger]

Anytime a basketball team at any level wins a game by 32 points, naturally it did a lot of things well.

At least that’s the way Mexico head coach Darren Pappas sees it.

His Bulldogs got out in transition to score, played lockdown defense and forced a running clock in the fourth quarter for a dominant 63-31 win over Elsberry on Wednesday night.

The Bulldogs (4-8) have shown improved form as of late, with a win over Eugene last week followed by a close loss to 11-2 Boonville. But with losses in seven of its past eight games entering the matchup against the Indians, it may be an understatement to say Mexico needed a favorable outcome.

The effort reflected the urgency — this one was never in doubt. Mexico, behind an offense displaying efficiency and tenacity, opened up a 23-5 lead in the first quarter, burying Elsberry (1-12) with a deficit it was unable to overcome.

“I thought we really defended pretty well in the full court and in the half court and got out in transition, which is what we like to do,” Pappas said. “I’m pleased with the overall performance and with everyone’s contributions.”

It was Mexico’s transition offense that Elsberry had no answer for. When the Bulldogs got out into the open court, they were aggressive and went right for the rim.

It was a good night offensively, and the Bulldogs didn’t even need to get hot from 3-point range to pull away. Mexico made only three shots from behind the arc in the victory.

Pappas said developing outside shooting is an area of improvement the team has been looking for and will continue to do so.

“We’ve got to find that shooter that can hopefully knock down shots from the perimeter. That’s been our struggle this year, shooting it from 3,” he said.

Despite the big win, Pappas identified free-throw shooting as another area that must improve. The Bulldogs got to the line 17 times Wednesday but made just eight attempts. Against better competition, Pappas said, those have to go through.

Mexico junior Raef Yager, who scored 13 points Wednesday, echoed Pappas’ perspective. Nine of Yager's points came in the first half, helping the Bulldogs go into the locker room with a 35-9 lead. The best aspect of the game, Yager said, was the communication on the defensive end.

“On the defensive end, which is the thing we need to work on, we played really well with our help defense,” Yager said.

Yager and sophomore Drew Blevins were a nightmare for Elsberry to try and match. Blevins added 11 points to complement Yager. The duo was singled out by their coach for strong play in the post, capitalizing on high-low ball movement for easy looks.

Mexico, which now has wins in two of its past three games, is scheduled to play at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday as the No. 5 seed against Harrisburg in the Macon Tournament.

“We hope so,” Yager said about the Bulldogs building momentum. “We go to the Macon Tournament and we play Harrisburg, and we know they’re a tough team. We have the day off tomorrow but we’re going to take the next few days to prepare for them.”

Default No false no mo.kevin.graeler