The Iola Mustangs came up short in their Thursday home opener but not by much.
Free throws made all the difference in the eighth-grade game, allowing the defending Pioneer League champion Burlington Wildcats to win 40-35.
A pair of consecutive buckets by Milo Franklin put Iola up 31-29 by the end of the third quarter. But Iola could not hold on as Burlington’s defense clamped down. Only Franklin and Cade Curry, who had a team-leading 12 points, were able to score throughout the rest of the game. Jaxon Mueller and Austin Campbell each had 5 points, followed by Ty Thompson with 4 points and Jayson Dorlus with 2.
The IMS eighth-grade junior varsity picked up Iola’s only win of the evening, 28-14. The Mustangs seemed in for a slugfest, but were able to take control after shutting out the Wildcats in the second quarter and going into halftime ahead 13-7.
Iola held Burlington to just 5 points in the third quarter and a bucket in the fourth to hold on for the win. Kaiden Jones had a team-leading 8 points, followed by Kamden Barnett with 7 and Evan Boeken and Dorlus with 4 points each.
The seventh-grade varsity Mustangs fell 42-21. Greyson Skahan scored a team-leading 9 points, followed by a slew of IMS players with 2 points each.
In junior varsity action, the Mustangs struggled to get their offense going in a 42-16 loss but still saw moderate production from Austin Scroggins with a pair of 3-pointers, complementing Jace Clark’s 4-point production.
The Mustangs return to the hardwood Monday and host the Wellsville Eagles. The games begin with the seventh-grade junior varsity tipping off at 4 p.m.
