OSAWATOMIE — The Iola Mustangs did everything right in Tuesday’s 64-41 loss to the Osawatomie Trojans, but often it’s not what happens before a shot that makes the difference, but what happens after.
“We took a lot of shots in great positions, attacked the lane, and did a lot of the things we wanted to do,” said Iola coach Luke Bycroft, who found similarities between their loss to Osawatomie in January.
“Just like the last time, we weren’t tough enough to finish at the rim, and we weren’t tough enough to rebound. We were soft.”
After ending the first quarter behind 14-11, the bottom fell out for Iola as Osawatomie pulled away on a 15-7 run. Leading 29-18, the Osawatomie Trojans poured on the points in the second half while Iola struggled to develop offensive consistency.
“We took a lot of great shots off great looks, but we have to find a way to finish with our shots,” Bycroft said.
With the loss, the Mustangs’ record fell to 10-11 and 5-6 in Pioneer League play.
Senior guard Nick Bauer and junior forward Keegan Hill scored 11 points each, followed by sophomore forward Mosiah Fawson with 10 points. Bauer also had a team-leading five steals and three assists. Hill was the night’s leader in rebounds with five boards.
“We need to take care of our bodies and practices will be a bit lighter,” Bycroft said. “It will be good for us to go a little lighter, get our minds off of some stuff and have some fun in practice. We need the rest. It will be good for us to not have another game this week.”
With just one more game left in the regular season, Iola hopes to build a bit of momentum for the playoffs with a win over Wellsville Monday. After defeating the Eagles (9-11, 5-4) by way of a buzzer-beating shot from Austin Crooks, Wellsville may have an axe to grind and there would be no better way to grind that axe than spoiling Iola’s Senior Night festivities.
“You can’t rely on a couple of big wins to carry you into the postseason,” Bycroft said. “You have to play well. We thought last Friday was going to turn things in that direction, but our minds were not in the right place tonight.”
Tipoff for Monday’s game will take place 20 minutes after the conclusion of the girls’ contest.
