Mexico girls basketball coach Ed Costley knew something had to change.

His Bulldogs led Harrisburg by three points at halftime in the first round of the Macon Tournament, but he sensed his team played slow and lethargic in the first half. 

Mexico let things slip away last week during the California Tournament, defeating Centralia 57-27 in the opening round before falling to Southern Boone in the semifinals and Marshall in the third-place game.

Costley wouldn’t let that trend continue. The coach challenged the Bulldogs to stop thinking so much in the second half and just play. Mya Miller and the Bulldogs responded, going on to defeat Harrisburg 51-33 on Monday behind Miller’s 18 points.

Miller scored 11 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter as Mexico sealed the win.

“(Miller) was just being more aggressive,” Costley said. “She kind of just took over and we talked about her being that player. She can be the most dynamic player on the floor and create for herself.”

Miller also led the Bulldogs with 12 points in their 43-38 loss to Marshall on Saturday. She is averaging 12 points per game this season.

“There were several times where she got a defensive rebound and went coast to coast with a finish,” Costley said of Miller in Monday’s win. “She had a couple and-1 situations from that. Other times, it was just off offensive rebounds.”

Miller was averaging 3.5 offensive rebounds per game entering the matchup against Harrisburg. She ended up with five in the victory.

Mexico (8-4) is scheduled to face Moberly in the second round of the Macon Tournament at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. That will be the first of two games within six days between the teams. The Bulldogs are slated to travel to Moberly next Tuesday.