Eagles soar past Iola

Struggling to find a lineup that will work, Iola High’s Mustangs stumbled in a 63-32 to Wellsville Friday night.
Iola was dominated in all facets of the game from the start. A full-court pressure defense forced multiple Mustang turnovers to help the Eagles soar out to an 18-4 lead after the first quarter.
It didn’t help that Wellsville was able to score from beyond the arc, in the lane and in transition. Nothing stopped them.
“It’s a unique situation for us. I’ve been at this a long time and in 19 years I don’t know if I’ve had a team as quite as difficult to motivate,” coach Bill Peeper said. “We’re kind of searching for answers. That team could have beat us by 80 points tonight. They played their JV for the entire second half. They still beat us in the second half.”
The Eagles also beat Iola in the second quarter, outscoring the Mustangs 26-10 to extend their lead to 44-14 at the half. Shane Walden and Travis Hermstein each led the Mustangs with four points through the first half.
The Mustangs’ best effort came at the end of the third quarter. With 45 seconds left, Iola went on a 6-0 run to keep a running clock from starting in the fourth period. Kaden Macha scored on a jumper in the lane, Ben Cooper hit two free throws and Macha scored from underneath. Iola trailed 55-26 heading to the fourth quarter.
The Mustangs didn’t bring the offensive rhythm into the fourth, however. The Eagles earned the running clock with 5:45 left on a transition layup to take a 57-28 lead.
“It didn’t matter which group we had out their tonight, they were all the same,” Peeper said. “That’s not a good sign.”
Wellsville shot lights out, making six 3-pointers in the game, four coming from Dalton Verhulst. He led the team with 18 points. The Eagles had 10 players score.
The Mustangs had seven players score throughout the game, but no one scored more than seven. Brett Taylor and Hermstein accounted for the only 3-pointers Iola scored.
Iola (3-6) will open the Burlington Invitational against a tough Rock Creek team on Tuesday. They are ranked in the top five for Class 4A-II.
“We’re kind of struggling at this point and we need to find a way to give ourselves a chance,” Peeper said. “I guess that’s the next step. We’re certainly not content with where we are. We hope there are better things out there for us. If this is the best we can give, we’re in a world of hurt.”

THE JUNIOR VARSITY Mustangs fell, 58-33. Isaiah Fawson led the team with seven points. Kanyon Beasley and Chase Regehr each scored five points. Braden Plumlee and Mason Ingle each scored four points. Isiah Shaughnessy scored a basket and Ethan Holloway made a free throw.

THE FRESHMEN cruised to a 53-28 win. Evan Sigg led the way with 14 points, while Nick Vaughn followed with 10. Matt Komma and Ethan Holloway each scored six points. Ethan Taverez scored five points. Caden Knavel and Matt Miller each added four points. Kanyon Beasley scored a basket and Cale Barnhart made a free throw.
Wellsville 63, Iola 32
Wellsville (18-26-10-8—63) (3PT/FG-FT-F-TP): Brown 2-0-1-4, Mann 0-0-1-0, Silsby 1/3-2-0-11, Gretencord 1/0-1-1-4, Strawn 1-1-2-3, Trent Smith 1-1-2-3, Powelson 2-0-0-4, Verhulst 4/3-0-0-18, Klamm 3-2-2-8, Crist 2-2-3-6, Trajen Smith 2-0-2-2
Iola (4-10-12-6—32) (3PT/FG-FT-F-TP): Cooper 2-2-3-6, Fawson 0-2-0-2, Regehr 0-0-1-0, Endicott 0-0-2-0, Taylor 1/0-0-3-3, Hermstein 1/1-2-3-7, Walden 2-3-0-7, Macha 2-1-1-5, Ingle 1-0-0-2, Peterson 0-0-5-0