OSAWATOMIE — February has been a long month for the Iola Fillies. After enjoying a three-game winning streak in January, the Fillies had lost four consecutive games entering Tuesday’s matchup in Osaawatomie.
In fact, the last time the Iola girls won was on Jan. 31, in a 41-35 rout of Osawatomie.
The Fillies repeated that effort against the Trojans on Tuesday with 39-27 victory.
“We needed that one,” Iola head coach Becky Carlson said. “The girls just seemed like they were never going to lose.”
The Fillies held a slim 7-5 advantage after the first period after a pair of treys from Hannah Gardner and Kelsey Morrison. But the sharp shooting didn’t stop there.
With the game neck-and-neck at 7-7 halfway through through the period, Iola caught fire from deep. Elysia Kunkler, Lauryn Holloway and Gaby Lampe connected from beyond the arc, helping the Fillies grow their lead in the second. The efficient 3-point shooting combined with a stout defense sent the Fillies into the break ahead 21-12.
“Their guards are really their key players, but we can really guard well on defense,” Carlson said. “I thought Kunkler, Kelsey (Morrison), and Hannah gave them fits. Then we had Josie (Plumlee) and Ella (Taylor) come in, and they D-up.”
Becca Sprague led the Fillies in the second half, scoring eight of her team-high 10 points after intermission. The Fillies continued to add to their lead in the third. Iola led by as many as 13 after a deuce from Sprague. Iola led 29-17 heading into the fourth.
Iola enjoyed a double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter.
Their only scare was Morrison going down with a twisted ankle with 5:30 remaining. Although The Fillies’ leader didn’t return, Carlson expects her to be fit for next week’s final two games of the regular season.
The Fillies will be off for the rest of the week.
Iola will conclude its regular season at Wellsville on Tuesday, and Santa Fe Trail on Thursday. Despite it being late in the season, Carlson is still eager to see more improvement.
“We just need to get sharper on offense, but tonight I felt that we didn’t have the lag we do sometimes,” Carlson said.
YOUNG FILLIES
The freshman/sophomore Fillies defeated Osawatomie 34-25. Aysha Houk finished as the Fillies’ leading scorer with 14 points. Elanie Sturgeon chipped in six points, Maci Miller scored four, Caiden Cloud and Reece Murry added three apiece, and Miah Shelby along with Halle McDermeit finished with two points each.
BOX SCORE
Iola (7-14-8-10—39) (pts): Gardner 6, Morrison 4, Plumlee 3, Holloway 3, Kunkler 9, Taylor 4, Sprague 10.
Osawatomie (5-7-5-10—27) (pts): Lagasse 7, Johnson 5, Ballow 7, Burnett 2, Kaempfe 3.
