WELLSVILLE — Offensive struggles, a yearlong Sisyphean battle for Iola High’s girls, continued Tuesday.
The Fillies wrapped up the road portion of their 2020-21 schedule with a 43-33 loss at Wellsville.
Turnovers and off-target shooting plagued Iola’s scoring attack against the Wellsville Eagles.
The Fillies didn’t connect from the field until Becca Sprague scored with about 2½ minutes left in the first quarter. Hannah Gardner’s trey 30 seconds later gave a glimmer of hope that the offense was on track, and Sprague scored again with less than a minute later.
But Wellsville, which led 8-1 early, maintained its advantage through the half.
Aysha Houk’s 3-pointer pulled Iola within 13-18 in the second quarter before the Eagles responded with a 7-2 run to cap the half.
Wellsville then slammed the door on Iola’s comeback hopes by limiting it to five points in the third quarter, on a field goal by Sprague and a field goal and free throw by Kaley Schinstock.
By evening’s end, Sprague had 10 points, followed by Houk with eight.
Wellsville, meanwhile, made its living in the second half on the free throw line, hitting 13 of 26 from the game, courtesy of 21 Fillies fouls. Both Sprague and Josie Plumlee saw their evenings end early after registering their fifth fouls down the stretch.
The Eagles were led by Jadyn Troutman with 12.
Iola doesn’t have much time to fret about the loss. The Fillies continued their break-neck pace to wrap up the regular season with home games tonight against Osawatomie and Thursday against Santa Fe Trail.
Class 4A Substate action for Iola begins Saturday against either Fort Scott or Ottawa.
Iola (8-9-5-11—33) (FG/3pt): Gardner 0/1-2-0-3-5, Houk 1/2-0-1-8, Plumlee 0-0-5-0, Shelby 0-1-2-1, Holloway 1-2-1-4, Reynolds 1-0-0-2, Schinstock 1-1-4-3, Sprague 5-0-5-10, 9/3-6-21-33.
Wellsville (13-12-9-9—43) (FG/3pt): Overman 1-1-4-3, Clancy 0-1-3-1, Green 2/1-2-1-9, Pearson 1/2-1-1-9, Troutman 4/1-1-1-12, McDaniel 1-7-4-9, Robertson 0-0-2-0. TOTALS: 9/4-13-16-43.
