RICHMOND — The Mustangs were dealt a tough hand to begin the season with a opener in Girard — the fourth-ranked team in Class 4-II — and then opening the Ike Cearfoss Preseason Tournament in Richmond with an 8-1 Kansas City Metro Academy squad.
So far the Mustangs have passed the early-season tests with flying colors by picking up a pair of wins with the most recent being a 51-47 win over Metro Academy.
“It is awesome to be 2-0,” Iola senior Ben Cooper said. “I can’t remember the last time we were 2-0 against such quality opponents.”
Iola 6-7 post Ethan Holloway rarely faces off against somebody his own size, but on Monday, the junior had a tough match-up with Mavericks’ senior Nick Volz matching Holloway inch-for-inch.
“He is definitely a talented kid,” Holloway said. “It is good to get some competition that is actually my size. It gets me better prepared for the future.”
Voltz started the game off strong with eight first quarter points and Holloway was held to just one point in the opening period.
In the second quarter the game completely flipped with Holloway out-scoring Volz 10-0 and the Mustangs out-scoring Metro Academy 16-10 to take a 25-23 halftime lead.
Holloway finished the game with 15 points and 18 rebounds while Volz was had 14 points and eventually fouled out of the game.
The Mustangs built a 33-26 lead midway through the third quarter, but by the early stages of the fourth quarter, the Mavericks cut the Mustangs’ lead to 35-34 on a Volz basket.
Iola quickly responded with a basket from senior Joey Zimmerman and one from Isaiah Fawson with the assist going to Holloway and the lead growing to 39-34.
The lead bounced between three and five points until the final minute with the two teams exchanging baskets.
Fawson hit a pair of free throws with 58 seconds left to grow the lead to six.
Evan Sigg made it seven on the ensuing possession with just 45 seconds to go.
With 36 seconds left, Holloway hit two free throws to make it 50-41.
Metro Academy hit a pair of three pointers in the final 30 seconds to narrow the margin but it was too little, too late, as Iola escaped with a 51-47 win.
Senior point guard Ben Cooper was the team’s second-leading scorer with 13 points after having a quiet game against Girard when fellow-senior Fawson went off for 22 points. The Metro Academy defense focused on Fawson and that allowed Cooper to shine.
“I just had to know what my role was today,” Cooper said. “Last time, it was just to be a leader, but today, I needed to be more of a scorer, because Isaiah wasn’t clicking as much as he was in our last game.”
Winning this preseason tournament has been a goal for the Mustangs all offseason as they want to go 4-0 in their four tournaments this season with preseason, midseason, league and state.
“This is the first step in the season,” Cooper said. “Winning that first championship will lead to the second championship and then the third and then the fourth.”
UP NEXT
Iola faces K.C. Christian in the second round on Thursday at 5 p.m.
