An 80-second stretch cost Iola High’s boys dearly Monday evening.
The Mustangs were locked in a back-and-forth struggle when Burlington surged ahead late the third quarter.
In the span of 1:20, the Wildcats scored on four straight possessions, turning a 34-34 deadlock into a 42-34 lead.
Iola challenged down the stretch, closing to within two points, but a pair of Wildcat buckets sandwiched around a Mustang turnover suddenly put the gap back at seven with 63 seconds remaining.
Burlington then hit 5 of 6 free throws in the waning seconds to secure a 60-53 victory.
The loss drops Iola to 8-3 on the season.
The key, Mustang head coach Luke Bycroft agreed, was the pivotal third quarter.
“In the third quarter, we just let them get right to the rim. We did not guard the ball, and that let them do what they wanted to do.”
More specifically, the Wildcats were able to drive deep into the heart of the Mustang defense, then kick out to open jump shooters.
“They shoot well when they can do that,” Bycroft noted.
Iola’s Bradyn Cole, returning from a knee injury, scored in the early seconds of the fourth quarter to cut Iola’s deficit to 42-36. Burlington’s Sam Smith, who was shaken up earlier on a hard foul on a layup attempt, responded with an inside bucket before teammate Bryan Payer connected with a 3-pointer, and suddenly the deficit was 11, 47-36.
The Mustangs answered back with a quick 9-1 run.
Nathan Louk got free inside, Landon Carson converted a steal and layup, then Cole hit a pair of free throws to pull Iola within 48-42. Dillon Bycroft’s 3-pointer less than a minute later had Iola within 48-45.
Payer’s key offensive rebound and putback with 3:40 left slowed Iola’s momentum. Carson hit a free throw, then a bad pass turnover from the Wildcats led to a pair of Tyler Boeken charities, and suddenly Iola was within 50-48.
Burlington closed with a kick. Payer scored on a layup, then a Mustang turnover led to Payer’s 3-pointer with 1:17 left to re-establish a seven-point lead with barely a minute left.
“In the first half, we did a good job of keeping the ball out of the paint, helping rotate enough early and force them to make tough shots,” Coach Bycroft said.
