With the final seconds ticking off the game clock in a tied game, Travis Hermstein hit a baseline jumper at the buzzer to lift Iola Middle School’s eighth-grade B-team to a 27-25 win over visiting Burlington Middle School Thursday.
Hermstein finished with eight points. Adam Peterson had nine for the Ponies while Brock Peters added six. Matt Jacobs scored three and Colton Storrer had one point.
Iola’s eighth-grade A-team had trouble getting back on track after halftime. Burlington had a shot at the buzzer to take a 19-18 lead at intermission.
The Bobcats used a 9-4 run in the third quarter to stretch their lead. Burlington maintained its advantage by outscoring the Ponies 17-14 in the fourth quarter for a 45-36 win.
“Our focus and hustle were really good in the first half,” said Marty Taylor, IMS head coach. “We had a couple of letdowns defensively in the second half but overall I liked our toughness.”
Kaden Macha fired in 18 points and had seven rebounds to lead the Ponies. Drew Faulhaber added six points and four rebounds while Alex Bauer pulled down five rebounds and had three points.
“Kaden was fantastic all night long,” Taylor said.
Isaiah Grover tossed in four points and Shane Walden chipped in with three points. Matt Jacobs and Adam Peterson each had one point.
Burlington won the seventh-grade A-team game 37-27. The Bobcats led 18-10 at halftime.
Brice Aiello scored eight points and had six rebounds for Iola. Gus Hopkins tossed in six points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Keanan Badders also had seven rebounds plus four points. Brett Taylor had four points and five rebounds.
Colby Works scored three points and Ethan Sigg had two points.
“The effort was outstanding,” Taylor said. “Brice, Gus, Keanan and Ethan really played hard inside. Now, we have to start hitting shots — 11 of 59 isn’t going to win many ball games.”
The Pony seventh-grade B-team notched a 19-13 win. Mason Key, Isiah Shaughnessy and Trevor Cox each had four points. Scoring two points each were Hopkins, Sager Patel and Dodger Beckham.
The Iola B-teams play Humboldt at 9 a.m. Saturday in the IMS gym.
Iola travels to Independence Monday.
Ponies win B games, lose As
