When the Lady Bulldogs finally caught their breath at the end of Tuesday’s game, it was not the result they wanted.

Mexico Senior Night Photo Gallery

On Senior Night, Mexico lost 61-54 against North Central Missouri Conference foe Hannibal in a game that was fast-paced and competitive from start to finish. Mexico was down by one point in the fourth quarter but couldn’t shut down Malia Stolte or Mariah Mayfield, who each scored 25 points for the Lady Pirates.

Mexico (12-12, 6-4 NCMC) grabbed the lead 16-15 after one quarter but was playing catchup after falling behind 30-24 late in the second quarter going into halftime. Head coach Makenzie Mudd said the Lady Bulldogs try to play fast while avoiding mistakes and ended up making too many mistakes this game.

“We had too many silly-mistake turnovers that really came back to bite us,” Mudd said. “We were pushing the ball really well and trying to speed up the game to take advantage of transition opportunities. That was leading to too many mistakes because we were rushing too much.”

Stolte was at the head of the Hannibal defense as she picked up seven steals that was followed by five steals from Mayfield. Claire Hudson was playing quarterback by connecting on some full-court passes to teammates, but at other times, the Hannibal defense was there to disrupt Mexico.

“They’re scrappy and after every lose ball,” Mudd said. “We didn’t have a chance to recover because they were right there.”

Scottie Smith had a big awakening in the second half by scoring 18 of her team-high 22 points in the second half. Smith was frequently in the right position for a layup after making a cut to the rim. 

When it comes to the four Mexico seniors, Kenzie Taylor had the best night by finishing with a massive double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds — one night after a solid nine points and five rebounds in a home victory against Fulton. Taylor had a double-double at halftime at 12 points and 10 rebounds.

“She just worked coming off of injuries and illnesses and things over the last two years,” Mudd said. “She has been trying to find that role back for herself. Tonight, she really showed what she is capable of.”

Stolte had 20 points at halftime for Hannibal (13-10, 7-2 NCMC) after repeatedly scoring at the other end off her steals. When she had a quiet second half, Mayfield emerged more with 14 points in the second half, including 10 points in the fourth quarter. Mayfield knocked down five 3-pointers in the game.

Mudd said Hannibal’s duo would be more manageable if the Lady Bulldogs only had to worry about one of them, but that’s not reality.

“Trying to stop both of them is hard because we’re wearing ourselves out trying to chase them around,” Mudd said. “Stolte is so fast and is hard to stop. We did our best to make her have to work hard for her baskets. When you have to defend two great shooters like that, it’s really hard to win.”

Mexico will return to Gary Filbert Court after making up a game Friday night at Capital City (10-12) due to a weather postponement. The Lady Bulldogs host the Class 4 District 8 Tournament next week and begin at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday against Moberly (4-20).

Still, Tuesday was an emotional night for the team’s seniors. Hudson, Taylor, Kenley Jones, and Haley Perkins each were recognized at midcourt in a ceremony following the game. Mudd said it’s sad they’ll be gone next season but hopes they each have plenty of games left during a postseason run.” 

“They’re a really hardworking group,” Mudd said. “You have Claire, obviously, being our leading scorer. Kenzie works hard down low, and Haley and Kenley are both scrappy little defenders who have done a lot of work for us on that defensive end. They’ll be greatly missed next year.”