WELLSVILLE — Playing defense is a lot easier when you are accustomed to having a 6-7 big man with a massive wingspan watching your back.
That fact was on display in the Mustangs’ 69-59 loss in Wellsville on Tuesday night when Iola junior Ethan Holloway was sidelined at critical times by foul trouble.
After Holloway had helped lead the Mustangs to victory over the Pioneer League leaders on Thursday night in Iola, Mustang coach Jay Applegate stressed to his team to get their big man involved and in the beginning, they did just that.
“Against a team like that, we have to be on the offensive end more than the defensive end, because we can’t get in a track meet with them,” Applegate said. “They are faster than we are. We need to run offense and make sure we get the shot we want and make them work.”
Holloway had six quick points as Iola sprung out to a 8-2 lead and the game looked very similar to the 64-50 victory that Iola had secured just five days ago, but then the only thing that could seemingly slow down Holloway did just that.
Two whistles on the Iola big man — with the second being a very tough call where Holloway grabbed a rebound over a smaller man and didn’t appear to make any contact—- sent the junior to the bench.
Even after Holloway reentered the game, the offense had stopped going through its centerpiece and he finished with just 10 points before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.
“We got really impatient on offense,” Applegate said. “We just didn’t get it inside enough in the first half… We just got away from it and it is hard to explain why.”
Without Holloway to protect the paint, Eagle ball-handlers were emboldened to attack the basket and a 7-0 run put the Eagles in front. They carried a 13-12 lead into the second quarter.
“Against a team like them, you can’t change (your defense), because they have so many good shooters,” Applegate said explaining why the guards were forced to crowd the Wellsville players, despite not having a rim protector behind them. “You just have to guard them.”
The lead grew to 27-18 midway through the second quarter after another 7-0 run by the Eagles.
With Holloway sitting to avoid a third foul at the end of the half, the Eagles scored six-straight points and grew the lead to 39-24 at halftime.
In the second half, Holloway returned to the lineup and the impact was immediate.
A basket from Holloway and a free throw by Evan Sigg cut into the lead early and an 8-0 Iola run midway through the third quarter — capped by a three pointer from Cale Barnhart — got the Mustangs within 43-35.
The team moved Holloway to the bench to close the third period though to rest him up for a fourth-quarter push.
That move back-fired with the Eagles ending the quarter on a 7-3 run to stretch the margin back to 12 points.
It went back to 15 on a triple from Wellsville senior Caleb Mann — who missed Thursday’s game with illness.
Back-to-back threes from Iola guard Ben Cooper got the deficit back down to single digits with 5:45 left at 53-44.
The Mustangs did not have another sustained run left in them though and the margin bounced between 11 and nine points until a Cooper basket got it down to seven with 1:56 left.
Mann hit a pair of free throws to push the lead back to nine, but Iola’s Isaiah Fawson hit two of his own to get it back to seven.
Mann went 1-for-2 from the line on the next trip and Fawson missed a three for the Mustangs.
Again, Mann went 1-for-2 from the stripe on the next trip, but Fawson’s three-ball went in this time and Iola whittled the lead down to six. Only 20 seconds remained, though and that proved too little for the feisty Mustangs.
Wellsville’s Zach Vance made 1-of-2 from the line and Cooper missed a three.
Wellsville’s Kyle Powelson went 1-of-2 from the line and Fawson missed a three.
Two Mann free throws put a capper on the 10-point win.
“We fought back in the second half,” Applegate said. “I’m proud of the kids for that. We just couldn’t quite get over the hump against a good team. They are a very good team.”
Cooper finished as Iola’s leading scorer with 18 points, but after the game Applegate was focused on the other aspects of the point guard’s day.
“Our point guard, we don’t mind him scoring, but he has to deliver the ball to other people,” Applegate said. “But it is nice to have that added (scoring) bump.”
Sigg had 14 points, Fawson added 13 and Holloway had 10.
Mann led the Eagles with 21 points and the only other Eagle in double figures was Vance with 15.
BOX SCORE
Wellsville 69, Iola 59
Iola 12 12 14 21 – 59
Wellsville 13 26 11 19 – 69
Iola (11-8; 6-5 league)
(2pt/3pt-FTM-FTA-Points) Ben Cooper 5/2-2-3-18; Isaiah Fawson 2/1-6-7-13; Chase Regehr 0/0-1-2-1; Cale Barnhart 0/1-0-03; Ethan Holloway 4/0-2-2-10; Evan Sigg 4/0-6-8-14. TOTALS: 15/4-17-12-59. FOULED OUT: Holloway, Barnhart.
Wellsville
(2pt/3pt-FTM-FTA-Points) Caleb Mann 2/3-8-12-21; Jackson Dwyer 1/0-0-0-2; Carson Powelson 0/2-2-2-8; Kyle Powelson 4/0-1-4-9; Zach Vance 7/0-1-3-15; Braden Crist 1/0-0-0-2; Trajen Smith 2/0-2-3-6; Jeff Ebeck 3/0-0-0-6. TOTALS: 20/5-14-24-69. FOULED OUT: None.
JUNIOR VARSITY
The Iola junior varsity beat Wellsville 47-39 on Tuesday.
Junior Zach Cokely only played the first half, but led the team with 10 points.
The entire Mustangs’ squad was very balanced with Hunter Preston adding nine points and Kane Rogers, Isaac Vink and Trey Bruner each finishing with seven points.
Blake Ashmore hit a three and Cale Barnhart and Derek Bycroft each had two points.
FRESHMEN
The Iola freshmen lost 32-31 against Wellsville.
Cal Leonard led the Mustangs with eight points while Calvin Delich and Brady Wiggin each had seven.
Noah Ashmore had five points and Casen Barker added four.
UP NEXT
The Mustangs will conclude the regular season on Thursday night when they host Santa Fe Trail.
The game also represents ‘Parents’ Night.’
