Not long after the opening tip off, Iola found itself in a quick 4-0 hole to Osawatomie at home on Friday.
And that about sums up everything positive on the Trojans’ end for the night. From that point onward, the Fillies simply dominated.
Iola defeated Osawatomie, 64-22, to mark its biggest victory of the season.
“It should boost their confidence,” coach Becky Carlson said. “We shot the ball very well, and that’s where we lack confidence. We took great shots and they went in and it was great to see.”
Coming off a loss to Anderson County where it let the lead slip away late, Iola needed a night like Friday when the game was never really in doubt.
The Fillies not only held the Trojans in check following the early 4-0 run, but they also proved an emphatic point: Iola can score with the best of the best.
Carlson saw her squad put up 25 unanswered points starting in the first and carrying into the second quarter.
And when Osawatomie spoiled Iola’s unbelievable streak with a few sporadic field goals here and there midway through the second period, the Fillies didn’t waste any time getting back into a groove.
Toward the end of the first half, Iola started a new run where it outscored Osawatomie 17-0.
When the Fillies closed out the game with a 9-0 run, it almost seemed casual.
And probably the most encouraging part of Iola’s offensive performance on Friday was the fact that it wasn’t just one player on a hot streak. It wasn’t even a couple players that led the way.
The Fillies were consistently balanced on the offensive attack throughout the night. Eleven of Iola’s 12 uniformed players scored at least one field goal. Most of them made a few.
Amazingly, Toni Macha was the only player to record a double-digit scoring performance with her 11 points.
After the Fillies built up a daunting lead early in the matchup, Carlson was able to spread out the minutes and the wealth. So while the starters were able to knock down some shots to kick off the offensive smackdown, the bench players were the ones who kept the ball rolling.
Of Iola’s 64 total points, 23 of those came from six different bench players.
“I love that,” Carlson said. “I love to see kids come in and look at the shot and take the shot. They weren’t shy about it. They took it. It was great balance.”
For Carlson, it was a reward in its own to see players like Katie Bauer and Taelyn Sutterby get in on the scoring. On most nights, those younger players never leave the bench. But with a commanding lead that started early in the first, the Fillies were able to display their depth and give those players significant minutes.
“They’re at practice every day and they work just as hard as everyone else,” Carlson said. “So it’s great to see them get some success in front of people.”
Iola
Wade 3-1-3-7
Riley 3-0-0-6
Murry 3-0-2-6
Bannister 1-2-1-4
Shields 4-0-3-8
Lohman 2-0-1-4
Sell 3-0-0-6
Platt 2/1-2-1-9
Bauer 0-1-0-1
Macha 5-1-0-11
Sutterby 1-0-1-2
