A strong defensive effort gave the Iola Fillies their first win on Thursday night in the consolation round of the Ike Cerfoss Tournament at Central Heights High School.
We were very intense and I love that, head coach Becky Carlson said. We were relentless, really. On both ends. We were tough on defense and on offense we were moving and cutting.
The Fillies took down host Central Heights 39-24, moving their overall record to 1-1.
At times it wasnt pretty. Turnovers were abundant for both teams and missed shots, especially from point-blank range, were much more prevalent than those made.
On offense, we just rushed, Carlson said. We werent quite as focused on our shots as we were the other night. We had great shots but we were just in a hurry. Theyll go, Im not worried.
The Fillies steadily improved their lead throughout the second half and nearly stretched it to 20 at one point before the Lady Vikings chipped away some at the end.
It all began with a 6-0 start for Iola. By the end of the quarter, Central Heights was able to cut it down to 8-4.
The Fillies continued to build their lead through the second quarter and nearly got it to 10 several times. Senior Madisyn Holloway finally secured that 10-point lead when she hit a three with seconds left in the half to push Iola to 19-9 at intermission.
The Fillies really distanced themselves in the third quarter, getting their lead to 29-15 despite a technical foul called on Carlson after possibly one too many barbs at the inconsistent officiating.
The Fillies, led in part by the sure passing of sophomore point guard Claudia Castellanos-Rodrigo and junior guard Kelsey Morrison, brought their lead up to 19 before back-to-back threes by Central Heights cut into the lead with 3:30 to go.
But just as theyd done for the majority of the game, the Fillies didnt panic and kept the Vikings at bay until the final buzzer.
Holloway led all scorers with 12 points followed by a second-straight double-digit game for senior Ellie Carson who ended the night with 10. Castellanos-Rodrigo had seven points, senior Piper Moore had five, Morrison had four and senior Shaylee Sutterby had a point.
We had great balance tonight, Carlson said. Were still learning about each other a little bit but were just going to keep getting better each time we play.
The Fillies will continue tonight when they play West Franklin for fifth-place at 6:30 p.m.
