DJ Long scored his 1,500th career point with authority on Monday night.

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On a night full of meaning already for the Class 4 No. 8 Mexico boys due to Senior Night and Winterwarming, the senior Long threw down a dunk with about six minutes left in the second quarter to officially record his 1,500th career point and be one of five Bulldogs to score in double figures of a 77-39 victory over North Central Missouri Conference foe Moberly (10-14, 3-6 NCMC). After the dunk, Mexico went on a 13-3 run and eventually scored 30 points in the third quarter.

Long said he enjoyed the “statement” victory by winning against a conference rival and defending home court on Senior Night and didn’t know how close he was to 1,500 until head coach Darren Pappas informed him recently.

“I didn’t know I was getting my 1,500th until last week when coach Pap told me I was three points away,” Long said. “I felt like I was going to dunk it regardless. I wasn’t paying attention to how many points I scored. I just wanted to win tonight.”

Long is near the end of his third year as a Mexico Bulldog, serving as the point guard for a team ranked eighth in Class 4 and with the top seed in the Class 4 District 8 tournament in Centralia as Mexico (23-2, 9-0 NCMC) found out this week. As a freshman, Long played for Van-Far and didn’t take long to find a new home in Mexico.

Without his teammates, Long believes he wouldn’t have reached 1,000 points and especially 1,500 as they do a good job feeding him the ball as well. 

“I’ve enjoyed the guys I’ve played with these last three years in Mexico,” Long said. “We’ve had really good teams, really good guys and has been a really good group all along.”

The numbers back up as Mexico was having points come from everywhere, namely PJ Perkins’ game-high 19 points and three 3-pointers, Charlie Fisher’s and Kaden Benne’s 14 points each, and Jaydon Eldridge’s 12 points. Eldridge tied senior Donye Nunnelly and Holden Aulbur with a team-high seven rebounds, and Fisher pulled down five rebounds. 

Pappas said the Mexico defense gave the offense time to catch up as he, like girls head coach Makenzie Mudd, was starting a senior-heavy lineup for Senior Night. This wasn’t the usual lineup used by the Bulldogs so Pappas said it took some time for everybody to get going.

“We got in a rhythm. That was a big thing,” Pappas said. “We did not get in a rhythm in the first quarter, but overall, we got in a really good rhythm after that.”

Mexico held Moberly to only two rebounds in the third quarter while the Bulldogs were immediately going the other way to pad their lead. Eldridge and Fisher each had 10 points in the 30-point third quarter to lead the offense.

“I thought they gave us great minutes off the bench,” Pappas said. “Jaydon is a starter, and with Charlie, we know what we’re going to get out of him. Kaden Benne gave us good minutes off the bench as well. Four of our five that were in double figures are underclassmen so that’s always a good sign.”

Donye Nunnelly has been in the Mexico program four years and has deeper ties to it as the nephew of assistant coach and defensive mind Dion “Bosco” Nunnelly. The senior had his mind on defense as well, saying the Bulldogs showed a lot of togetherness. The Spartans finished their second game under 40 points this season and lowest total since the 38 they scored in January against California.

“Our defense was great today as we were switching, talking and communicating,” Nunnelly said. “Coach Pappas called a timeout (in the second quarter), and he just talked to us about how we need to talk more and communicate more. When that happened, we all got better.”

Senior Night happening so close to the beginning of district next week caused Pappas to look back on the big impact Long has made in his Bulldog career and what he can still do this season. The Bulldogs had already clinched their third 20-win season in three years and have won the North Central Missouri Conference title outright — before Tuesday’s finale at Hannibal — after falling short last season. 

Pappas said Long brings a wide skillset, obviously, as the team’s floor general and leader but also brings a wide array of knowledge to the court. He welcomes whenever Long speaks his mind about the team’s strategy.

“I trust him to be able to go to him and ask him what he sees with the defense and what they’re doing, in case there’s something I can’t see from my perspective,” Pappas said. “Usually, we have a good conversation, and I could say, ‘Hey, what if we run this?’ He’ll either tell me yes or no if it’s going to work or not. It means a lot to have a kid like that.”

The rest of Mexico’s seniors have affected the team as well, Pappas said. Aidan Knipfel is a versatile player that has had a strong senior year, 2024 Mr. Bulldog Grant Broeker is an all-around great teammate and never gives less than full effort, and Nunnelly has “blossomed” in his senior year and leads the team in charges taken, demonstrating his willingness to do the little things.

No matter how far the Bulldogs go this season, Pappas said this senior group has one of the better overall records over their careers. His players have enjoyed the journey so far and can’t wait to see what’s next, starting in districts at 6 p.m. Feb. 29.

“Coach Pappas is a great coach. Bosco, or my uncle Dion, is a great coach,” Nunnelly said “Our teammates are great and pick each other up when we’re down.”

“I feel like we can win a district championship,” Long said. “I see us getting another district win this year too.”