Every little bit matters in the playoffs.

Mexico vs Kirksville Photo Gallery

For the Mexico boys on Wednesday, their district semifinal game with North Central Missouri Conference foe Kirksville came down to free throws. The Bulldogs fell short in that department by finishing 10-for-29 at the line while Kirksville went 23-for-31 in a 66-62 season-ending loss for Mexico in the Class 4 District 8 tournament in Moberly.

Head coach Darren Pappas said the Bulldogs’ performance at the line was the big difference as the postseason brings a higher probability of close games. With a team such as Kirksville (19-7) that Mexico (18-10) had split two contests with going into Wednesday, those misses loomed large as Mexico’s 58-53 lead with about two minutes left disappeared.

“We just missed free throws down the stretch,” Pappas said. “I don’t know if it was fatigue, like our legs were tired, or what. We just missed free throws, and you can’t do that against teams like Kirksville because they obviously made their free throws.”

Isaac Danielson seemed to be the designated free-throw shooter for the Tigers as he accounted for 11-of-16 free throws to finish with a game-high 26 points. For Mexico, senior Jordan Shelton led the team with 19 points along with eight rebounds, DJ Long followed with 18 points and three steals, Jaydon Eldridge added 11 points, five rebounds and two 3-pointers, and PJ Perkins collected nine points and 11 rebounds.

Shelton was among the many Bulldogs in foul trouble as Mexico was at seven fouls with 7:31 left in the fourth quarter and then put Kirksville in the double bonus at 10 fouls with 5:20 remaining. The senior played with three fouls starting around the seventh minute, Perkins picked up his fourth foul with around five minutes left and senior Anthony Shivers had his fourth with seconds to go. A big blow was when the primary point guard Long fouled out with a little more than three minutes remaining, forcing Pappas to adjust rotations even further.

“Momentum was swinging our way there for a while then we got in some foul trouble and had to do some different rotations and things like that,” Pappas said. “When you get in foul trouble like that, you’re kind of scrambling to figure out the best rotations, the best lineups, and matchups. The chemistry is not there. But that’s not to blame as our guys continued to battle and compete.”

Pappas told his players after the game that it was a learning experience for a team that featured three seniors this season. He said Mexico’s youth can grow from this and figure out how to guard better in tight contests.

Kirksville made it difficult on Mexico to control its fouls as it repeatedly drove inside with Danielson and Keaton Anderson, who finished with 16 points and 6-for-7 shooting at the free throw line. Pappas said Cole Kelly always needs to be watched on the perimeter, and the Bulldogs did fine in that aspect as he was limited to two 3-pointers as part of his 10 points and eight rebounds. However, defending inside drew much of the fouls that hampered Mexico later.

“They spread us out and tried to beat us off the dribble,” Pappas said. “We had the help there, but we didn’t have the second help line there on the rotation. When we didn’t have that second help, because they were spreading us out so much, they were able to double down to the bigs and score layups when they were doing that four-out and one-in and attacking the basket.”

Pappas complimented Danielson’s performance as a senior for Kirksville that stepped up and hit big shots to mount a comeback. He heated up in the second quarter to give Kirksville its first lead at 23-21 in the second quarter after a 10-0 run, brought Kirksville as close as 61-59 with a minute left after he and Kelly completed 3-point plays, and then helped the Tigers cling to a lead in the closing seconds after he and Jalen Kent each knocked down a pair of free throws.

“The shots that they needed to fall, he made those shots,” Pappas said. “Give credit to him. That’s a senior being a leader and leading his team, and we wish Kirksville nothing but the best.”

Mexico’s three seniors also did a great job Wednesday and far beyond before that leading the Bulldogs, Pappas said. Shelton, Shivers and Dante Kelley brought much to the program and helped Mexico impress some more after a historic 28-1 campaign last year. Shelton and Shivers were named to the all-North Central Missouri Conference team on Wednesday along with Long.

The Bulldogs finished just two wins shy of their third 20-win season following a 14-12 record in 2019-20 and were second in the conference at 8-2 behind winner Fulton, who Mexico lost to 73-71 in a conference-deciding game. They won district titles in each of the previous two years and were one win away from the state Final Four last season prior to losing to eventual state champion Vashon.

“Jordan Shelton is a really talented basketball player, a good kid and a coachable kid,” Pappas said. “I can’t say enough of what he poured into this program. He was a huge part of rebuilding this program, getting to the plateau at the stage we wanted it to. I thought he did a good job this year of being that senior leader.

“Dante Kelley, not only a good player but a great teammate. He gave us everything he’s got. Sometimes, he’s outsized and outmatched, but he still gave us everything he’s got.

“Anthony Shivers, our consistent piece. He was a role guy, and this year, stepped into a starting role and played all 28 games for us. The quiet, humble kid that continues to come in and work hard every single day. We know he’s got a bright future on the football field and whatever he decides to do off the playing field as well.”

Pappas said the team could look at the missed opportunities that led them to fall short this season but should be more proud of what they accomplished and what the program has in store for the future. Perkins and Eldridge were a couple of sophomores that stepped up with several key contributors forced to sit more because of foul trouble. They will return along with Long, Donye Nunnelly and a promising list of prospects that includes Aidan Knipfel, Charlie Fisher, Kaden Benne, Holden Aulbur and Sam Ryan.

“We’ve got good pieces, a good young core that we look forward to returning,” Pappas said.