Although previously fed up with moral victories, Iola coach Luke Bycroft made an exception following the Mustangs’ 35-27 loss to fourth-ranked Burlington Friday.
The boys “executed our game plan pretty well defensively,” Bycroft said of their effort, which had the Mustangs taking the lead at several points in the game. “That’s the best we’ve played on defense, and mixing up some different looks. It felt like we were more physical in rebounding the ball.”
The Burlington Wildcats are 13-3 on the season and 7-0 in Pioneer League. Iola hosts Santa Fe Trail (10-5, 5-2) Tuesday.
In Friday’s matchup, every possession seemed to change the momentum in the defensive slugfest. It wasn’t until the third quarter that the Wildcats scored in double digits with 14 points, ultimately making the difference in the game’s outcome.
With Burlington defenders playing an aggressive, man-to-man defense, 3-pointers were in short supply Friday, but Iola more than made up for it in the paint.
“I’m proud of the way we played on the defensive end,” Bycroft said. “I told them, ‘If we can play this well on defense, and hit a few shots, we have a chance.’ We had shots in the lane; we just could not finish them. But I am super proud of how hard they played. Burlington is one of the best teams in the state at our level.”
A pair of close-range field goals by junior guard Austin Crooks, who scored a team-leading 10 points while finishing second in rebounds with four, gave Iola an early advantage in the first quarter. Sophomore forwards Mosiah Fawson and Reed Clift also added a pair of field goals to put Iola ahead 16-14 by halftime.
Iola could not keep pace with Burlington in the third quarter. Three-pointers by junior guard Troy Over, sophomore forwards Gaige Navarro and senior forward Maddux Cheever, who scored a team-leading 13 points, allowed Burlington to pull away.
Iola senior guard Nick Bauer had a team-leading six rebounds, two assists and finished second in scoring with 6 points. Fawson had three steals and four rebounds with 3 points. Junior forward Keegan Hill had four rebounds, two steals and a bucket. Iola falls to 8-9 overall and 3-4 in league play. 
“We showed we can compete with any team in the league,” Bycroft said. “Now, we need to maintain that mindset. We can get better from this. They’re discouraged from this. Turning a corner after a tough loss like this, when you’re on the verge of being a great team, is tough.”
Tip-off for Tuesday’s contest is 20 minutes after the conclusion of the 6 p.m. girls contest.
