A huge third quarter spark ignited Iola High’s freshman Mustangs to a 49-38 win over Chanute on Tuesday night. EARLIER, THE freshman Fillies fell to Chanute 46-26.
“We came out and were flat in the first half and didn’t have a lot of energy,” coach Luke Bycroft said. “Before the game, we talked about the key of the game was going to be how hard we were willing to play and work on defense and for rebounds. Most of (Chanute’s) offense was because we weren’t working for rebounds or for loose balls. They got extra possessions.”
After coming out of halftime down 22-19, the Mustangs went on a 15-0 run in the third quarter to get the win. With 5:05 left in the third quarter, Iola’s Zach Cokely gave the Mustangs a 23-22 lead. Iola only extended the lead, never giving it up.
Later, Isaac Vink scored on a deep jumper, giving the Mustangs a 25-22 lead. Ethan Holloway extended Iola’s momentum by completing a traditional 3-pointer. He was fouled under the hoop, after getting the easy two points. He followed that up, by hitting the free throw.
With a 36-22 lead and 5:55 left in the fourth quarter, Ethan Tavarez lobbed up a shot in the lane. It gave Iola a 38-22 lead and put them on a 19-0 run. That run ended on the next play with Chanute finally finding a way to score.
Part of the reason the Mustangs ran rampant in the second half is because they held Chanute’s top scorer, Jacody Hockett, to just two points in the second half. He scored 12 in the first half.
“We re-emphasized at halftime that all basketball is hard work,” Bycroft said. “It’s not about if we are the better team. We always expect to beat the other team, but if we don’t work harder, we are going to lose. It’s all about hard work and in the third quarter we gave everything that we had.”
Holloway led Iola with a 20-point performance. Vink followed with eight points. Cokely and Evan Sigg each scored six points. Matt Komma scored five points. Kanyon Beasley and Tavarez both scored a basket.
The Fillies started off the game down 19-2 during the beginning of the second quarter. But, Iola’s offense started to roll and outscored Chanute 13-12 by the end of the quarter.
It could have been easy for the Fillies to want to stop playing hard, but they continued to produce offensively. They had a hard time stopping Chanute, which held the height advantage on the inside.
“We talked about that (early score) in a timeout and at halftime. That’s the best thing about this team, there’s no quit in them,” coach Chris Weide said. “They came out and ran the offense well, played good defense and got back in the game. If we would have come out in the third quarter and put a little run together, I think we could have got (Chanute).”
Colbi Riley led the Fillies with eight points. Carly Cescon and Karly McGuffin each scored four points. Katie Bauer and Macayla Bycroft each scored three points. Olivia Taylor and Chloe Gardner both added a basket.
Freshman Mustangs run to win, Fillies fall
