Mexico’s first meeting with Fulton this season was grueling.

Mexico vs Fulton Photo Gallery

The Lady Bulldogs lost that game in Fulton 56-48 in yet another example of a close loss for them this season. However, the Mexico girls led the rematch on Monday at home the whole way to beat their North Central Missouri Conference and district foe Fulton 52-39.

Head coach Makenzie Mudd said while the first game was a tough loss to accept since Mexico (12-11, 6-3 NCMC) just fell short, it went beyond that. Several players were unavailable or limited due to injuries that night, and the Lady Bulldogs’ roster felt as complete as possible this time.

“Claire (Hudson) got in foul trouble, and Scottie (Smith) got hurt so I felt we didn’t have our full team to really show what we’re capable of against them,” Mudd said. “Being able to do what we did tonight so close to districts feels really good because I felt like everybody on the court had a part in it.”

The first quarter was better for Mexico as well as it led 13-10 after the first eight minutes and eventually increased its lead to double digits in the second half. Alyssa Miller led with 15 points, 10 rebounds and three 3-pointers; Claire Hudson finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four steals; and Kenzie Taylor had nine points and five rebounds off the bench.

Other than statistically, Hudson said Mexico was different in terms of health since she said she and Miller hurt their fingers in that game, Smith had to sit out the second half due to a concussion and Hannah Loyd wasn’t available at all due to being sick. On top of all that, Hudson said the Lady Bulldogs were still adjusting after losing point guard and her younger sister Grace Hudson to a season-ending knee injury. 

“We were struggling with the mental part in that game,” Hudson said. “It felt like a wrestling match. We came out tonight, and everybody was fine and healthy.”

Mudd said losing the team’s primary ball handler is a big change, but Hudson has stepped into that role well for her younger sister. On the defensive side, having Smith’s contributions for the entire game was helpful.

“Without Grace, Claire has been a most consistent ball handler so her being able to stay in helped a lot,” Mudd said. “Scottie gets down there and has deflections and rebounds all over the place so her length is such a big advantage.”

Mudd added that nobody is playing out of position or their role with everybody available to play. Speaking of position, Mexico was in better position this time on offensive rebounds.

Hudson especially grabbed plenty of boards, reaching nine rebounds at halftime and being active on the offensive glass. She said Mexico was outrebounded by Fulton in the first meeting and didn’t want that to happen this time.

“My goal was to go get some rebounds and help out on the boards,” Hudson said. “Second-chance points is how they beat us last game so we tried to limit that.”

Mudd said that was definitely a focus as it prepared to face Fulton (8-15, 3-6 NCMC) again. Along with Hudson’s and Miller’s double-digit rebound efforts, Taylor picked up some offensive rebounds and finished with a solid game after Mudd said she gained confidence from making an initial shot inside.

“They have a lot of length and a lot of height,” Mudd said. “With Claire, we knew they were going to try and shut her down with a diamond-and-one. Her goal was to get free of that one defender and try to make some opportunities for herself through the adversity.”

Mexico hosts Class 4 District 8 and will play at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday against conference foe Moberly, who it defeated 64-42 on Friday in Moberly. Hudson led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring that game with 24 points. Kirksville is the No. 1 seed and other teams like Wright City, Hallsville and No. 2 seed Fulton are in the mix.

The Lady Bulldogs would play Fulton in the semifinals if they defeat Moberly (4-20) again so they need to limit their mistakes in a potential third meeting. Audrey Arnold led the Lady Hornets with 18 points and four steals, and Ali Skinner finished with 12 points and three 3-pointers. The 3-pointers stuck out as Fulton knocked down perimeter shots whenever Mexico tried to put the game away.

“We were just getting a bit lax on closing out to the 3-point line,” Mudd said. “There were moments where we got too far over on our defense and weren’t able to recover fast enough. Every time we had a timeout or a break, we talked about making sure you stay in your spot and making sure you’re covering your area and not over on the other side.”