It took a couple of minutes, but once the Ponies’ eighth-grade varsity got rolling on Tuesday night against Wellsville, there was no stopping them. The girls cruised to a 25-11 victory over their visitors from the north.
Midway through the first quarter, the game appeared to be in a stalemate with the Eagles holding a 4-1 advantage and the only point for the Ponies coming on a Hannah Gardner free throw, but finally Becca Sprague was able to get the cover off the basket for Iola.
Sprague drove down the lane and absorbed contact from a defender while she converted a lay-up. Sprague turned the play into an and-one after the official blew the whistle and Sprague swished the free throw.
Now with a 4-4 tie, the Ponies began to capitalize on the momentum. Jenna Miller hit a free throw for one of her team-high seven points to give Iola a lead.
A Gardner basket and free throws from Kelsie Finley and Sprague gave the Ponies all the momentum they could ever want with a 10-5 lead at the halftime intermission.
“They started to work as a team after the first quarter and did a great job on the offensive and defensive boards,” Iola coach Anthony Herrick said. “That happens through teamwork and hard play.”
The Ponies only continued to pile on the over-matched Eagles in the third quarter. Gardner scored a quick three points and Miller added four in the third quarter as Iola held the Eagles scoreless in the period and built the lead to 17-5.
The fourth quarter continued to be all-Ponies early with a couple buckets from Olivia Kerr and one from Adrianne Reynolds to build the spread to 23-7.
After a couple late Wellsville buckets, the final score settled at 25-11.
Miller overcame a poor shooting day from the field to still find other ways to score her team-high seven. She led the team in rebounding with nine and made three of four from the free throw line.
Gardner added six points and despite playing the point guard position and giving up at least a couple inches in height to every other player on the floor, she managed to finish second on the team with four rebounds.
“I am so proud of all the girls,” Herrick said. “They all play with such heart, passion and class.”
Gardner also dealt with the Eagles’ pressure defense the entire game and did not commit a single turnover.
Sprague also had four rebounds and added five points.
7TH-GRADE VARSITY
The seventh grade Ponies had a very similar game to their eighth-grade counterparts and won 17-12.
They fell behind early, but behind the strong play of point guard Josie Plumlee and forward Reece Murry, the team was able to mount a rally.
After trailing 5-4 at the end of the first quarter, a Plumlee basket opened the scoring in the second and gave Iola a lead that they would not relinquish.
Jenna Curry added to the lead shortly later with a basket of her own and Chloe Sell closed the first half with a bucket to give Iola a 10-5 lead.
Murry got involved to begin the third and grew the Iola lead to 12-5.
Wellsville fought back however and the Iola lead was just 14-9 going into the fourth quarter.
Murry scored three quick points for Iola in the fourth period and that proved enough to give the Ponies the win, 17-12.
“They continued battling from last week (against Anderson County) and dug down deep even though they were tired near the end of the game to get a great win,” Herrick said.
Murry finished with a team-high seven points and Curry added four.
Plumlee was a terror on the defensive end with four steals and she also led the team with seven rebounds.
8TH-GRADE JV
The eighth-grade Ponies’ junior varsity squad also started slow, but they were also able to rally and beat Wellsville, 21-12.
“They grabbed an impressive win by believing in each other and executing on offense and defense,” Herrick said.
Iola dug themselves a 6-3 deficit at the end of first quarter, but the Ponies leaned on their strong defense and were able to use that to spark the offense.
The Ponies shut the Eagles out in the second quarter.
A Zareona Pulley basket got the team within one of Wellsville and Olivia Kerr tied it up with a free throw moments later.
McKenna Orear scored three points to give the Ponies a lead and close out the first half.
Wellsville quickly answered to take the lead back at 10-9 early in the second half, but Iola closed the game on a 12-2 run highlighted by baskets from Kailey Schinstock.
Schinstock finished with a team-high eight points on four of seven shooting and she also added a pair of steals.
Orear had three points and Kerr, Lorie Carpenter, Pulley, Destiny Henry and Jada Cunningham each had two points.
Adrianne Reynolds had a team-high four steals.
7TH-GRADE JV
The seventh-grade junior varsity Ponies dug themselves an 9-2 hole at halftime, before they roared back in the third quarter.
“Both junior varsity teams worked their tails off,” said. “While the seventh graders did not get a win, they played with huge hearts and never quit.”
Iola out-scored Wellsville 10-2 in the third quarter to take a 12-11 lead going into the fourth quarter, but the Ponies run out of gas in the fourth and lost the game 18-12.
Maci Miller and Logan Ulrich keyed the Iola resurgence with six points each in the game.. Ulrich made all three of the shots she attempted in the game.
UP NEXT
Iola has a week off until their next game against Santa Fe Trail next Tuesday.
They will host the Chargers with games beginning at 4 p.m.
