Mexico seniors Catie Bledsoe (2) and Logan Blevins (32) box out Moberly players as they look for a rebound opportunity Tuesday during the Lady Bulldogs 31-25 triumph at Moberly.

MOBERLY — Playing each other for the second time in four days and fresh off the Macon Tournament, the girls basketball teams at Moberly and Mexico were running on fumes.

Both sides went through offensive challenges in their rematch, but shot selection appeared worse for the Spartans, especially releasing attempts prematurely. The misfires by the host squad in the North Central Missouri Conference matchup aided the Bulldogs.

Mexico churned out a 31-25 victory against Moberly on Tuesday night.

“I believe the energy level from both teams was not as high as it normally is and it's probably because the two of us played each other Saturday at the Macon Tournament and it's our third game in just a few short days, including (Monday) night's games to finish the tournament,” Mexico girls coach Ed Costley said.

“I'm real proud of the girls that came off our bench to help when it was needed. … Ultimately we did a nice job of attacking the basket, getting key rebounds in the fourth quarter and we made free throws.”

Moberly shot 18% from the floor (9-for-49), including 3-for-25 from behind the arc, while Mexico shot 35% overall (13-for-36).

The Bulldog girls went 11-for-19 at the free-throw line. Moberly made 4 of 10 at the stripe.

“If you notice us giving up just 32 points, sign me up for that on most any given night of basketball because it should give your team a good chance to win a game. But our shot selection was really bad tonight,” Moberly coach Tony Vestal said. “We had some girls taking some selfish shots, in my opinion. I don't understand it. We did not move the ball well and our shots were just too quick as we did not have anyone in position to get a rebound or putback.”

Senior Logan Blevins led Mexico (10-4, 3-1 NCMC) with 10 points. Sophomore Mya Miller made 6 of 8 free throws as she and Rileigh Thurman added six points apiece. Shelbi Shaw netted four points, Reghan Smith had three and Taylor Sherrow chipped in two.

The Bulldogs led by 10 after the first quarter as they pounded the ball often to Blevins around the rim. They held a 16-12 lead at the break.

The Spartans managed to tie the score at 21 to open the final period.

However, Thurman's field goal about two minutes into the fourth quarter handed Mexico a 27-25 lead, and the hard work put in by Moberly to climb back went by the wayside as the Bulldog girls would not relinquish the advantage.

“Part of the message I gave the girls at halftime was that we needed more patience running the offense because we were starting not to get into a nice rhythm and open up the floor for better shot opportunities. Then there were times in the third quarter we were passing up several scoring opportunities and got a little sloppy, which helped Moberly make a comeback,” Costley said.

“... We got some help when Moberly started missing a bunch of their shots, and our girls did a nice job of getting the rebound and holding them to one-possession shots at the end.”

Billington finished the night with 14 points for the Spartans (8-8, 1-2), while fellow senior Aleesia Oliver tossed in eight.

Mexico plays on its home court Friday against Kirksville.

Default No false no mo.kevin.graeler