RICHMOND — For the third straight game, Iola High’s Mustangs encountered a defensive lull, which fed a run for the opponent. But unlike the first two games, in which the struggles persisted and created too close-for-comfort final margins of victory, on Thursday, Iola was able to limit any such tension.
The Mustangs’ resulting 62-43 win over Kansas City Christian puts Iola in line for a possible preseason tournament championship.
Iola (3-0) is slated to take on West Franklin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Central Heights High School gymnasium for the Ike Cearfoss Memorial Tournament crown. And if Mustang head coach Luke Bycroft’s hunch is correct, Iola’s success will boil down to its defensive intensity.
“We can’t ever let it down,” he said. Iola’s smothering defense kept Kansas City Christian at arm’s length throughout Thursday’s semifinal. A 15-2 Mustang run, including a pair of KCC timeouts 40 seconds apart, put Iola ahead 23-8 by the midpoint of the second quarter. “We got a little sloppy offensively the last three minutes of the half, but our energy was good,” Bycroft said. “We just couldn’t extend the lead.”
Back-to-back Landon Carson layups had Iola ahead 38-19. But as what happened in the opener against Central Heights, Iola couldn’t maintain its momentum. “We relaxed again defensively, thinking we can just play offense,” Bycroft said.
It was a message he delivered rather emphatically during a timeout late in the period, after the Panthers rattled off 12 straight points to close to within 38-31 in the last minute of the quarter. Carson, who wound up with a game-high 25 points, scored on a driving shot, triggering a 10-0 Mustang run to put the game away.
“Our defense was great down the stretch,” Bycroft said. “The energy was great.”
Landon Weide followed with 13 points, while Grady Dougherty scored nine and Lucas Maier six.
Hakeem Blackon scored nine and Derrius Derrell seven to pace Kansas City Christian.
After Saturday’s tournament finale, Iola travels to Burlington Tuesday to resume regular season play.
KC Christian (8-9-14-12—43)
Blackmon 2/1 2 1 9
Barker 0/1 0 2 3
Rodeman 3 1 2 7
Dylan newman 3 0 3 6
Rush 1 0 4 2
Eddy 0 2 0 2
Knernschield 0 0 2 0
Derrell 2/1 0 4 7
Buresh 0/1 0 1 3
Totals 11/4 7 19 43
Iola I16-12-14-20—62)
Rowe 1 3 2 5
Weide 3/1 4 3 13
Bauer 0 0 3 0
Dougherty 4 1 2 9
Beckmon 0/1 0 1 3
Carson 7/3 2 1 25
Coffield 0 0 1 0
Jones 0 0 1 0
Maier 2 2 0 6
Nemecek 0 0 1 0
Totals 17/5 13 13 62
