PARK CITY — The atmosphere was electric, spirits high and memories filled to the brim — Iola High’s Mustangs were in the state basketball tournament for the first time in 31 years. IOLA NEVER led in the first half, but Andale still had its hands full. THURSDAY BEGAN on an uplifting note as throngs of parents and students filled the IHS gymnasium for a massive pep rally and sendoff.
“It already was a great day,” Mustang head coach Bill Peeper said. “I told the guys the only way we could make it better was to win.”
Alas, victory remained just out of reach, courtesy of Andale High’s shutdown defense in the second half.
The Indians put the clamps on Iola’s offense, turning a three-point lead into a 21-point cushion by the early portions of the fourth period.
Iola made things interesting down the stretch with its own defensive pressure, but got no closer than eight in a 56-47 defeat.
The loss ends Iola’s season in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A-II State Tournament.
“Boy, they made looks hard to come by,” Peeper said. “They’re so aggressive defensively. They’re used to shutting people down.”
Iola’s Kaden Macha hit a baseline jumper in the opening seconds of the third period to pull Iola to within 27-24, before Andale’s defense took over.
The Indians allowed only a single field goal, a putback by Macha at the 4:14 mark of the third, during a decisive 22-4 run.
The Indians’ Jason Hermreck and Jeffery Ast both converted 3-point plays during the spurt before Jordan Anderson ended the third with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lead, 44-28. The lead grew to 49-28 with another Ast bucket and a Hermreck trey to open the fourth.
Iola still had some fight down the stretch.
Adam Kauth ended Iola’s 6-minute scoring drought with a slashing bucket at the 5:13 mark. Trent Latta scored on a layup before a steal led to Latta’s 3-pointer to cut the gap to 50-35 with 3:53 left.
“I couldn’t have been prouder of how hard we battled to the end,” Peeper said. “We like to talk about ending the game with an empty tank, and we did that. We gave it everything we had.”
Iola held Andale without a field goal over the final 6:14 as the Indians focused on using clock rather than on attacking the basket.
Kauth’s steal led to a pair of free throws, cutting the lead to 50-37. Latta’s free throws cut the gap to 10, 51-41, with 1:23 left.
Fryendz Wallace snuffed the Indians’ next possession with a steal, and scored on a layup to pull Iola within eight.
Hunter Knoblauch answered with a pair of free throws with 48 seconds left to put the lead back in double digits, 53-43.
Tyler Powelson and Latta scored in the waning seconds for Iola, but it was too little, too late.
While the Indians went cold from the field, they hit 8 of 13 free throws in the fourth quarter to stay safely ahead.
“Andale’s good,” Peeper said. “They’ve got a good shot to win it all. I was surprised they struggled so much against our press. I think they tightened up a little, and we played with nothing to lose.”
Peeper pulled Mustang starters with 15 seconds left, to a rousing ovation from the scores of Mustang fans who made the 2-hour trek to Park City’s Hartman Arena.
Wallace got things started with a pair of field goals for Iola after the Indians took a quick 4-0 lead. Macha’s 3-pointer with 4:57 left in the first cut the Indian lead to 9-7. Latta followed a short while later with a 3-point play to keep Iola within 13-11.
The Indians pulled ahead 24-16 on Jake Bruna’s driving layup before Wallace and Kauth scored to cut the deficit to two. Anderson’s 3-pointer with 30 seconds left put the Indians ahead at the break, 27-22.
“I don’t think we came here in awe of the situation,” Peeper said. “They realized we came to play. That our guys were as disappointed as they were after the game says a lot. We came in believing we could win. The guys really showed how far we’ve come this season.”
Latta, Macha and Kauth each had 11 points to share scoring honors for Iola. Wallace followed with 10 points and five rebounds. Latta and Wallace each had three steals. Powelson had two blocks.
Hunter Knoblauch led Andale with 12 points, 10 of which came from the line.
The Indians hit 23 of 31 free throws, compared to Iola’s 7 of 11. The Mustangs had a 28 -26 rebound advantage over the taller Andale squad.
The team bus made stops at each of the other schools in town before departing for Park City. The players were greeted with cheers and high-fives at each stop.
The Mustang pep band also drew rave reviews by the Hartman Arena crowd. One Wichita Eagle reporter tweeted the band was the best he’d seen.
“Our fans were great,” Peeper said. “For that many to come and support us on a Thursday afternoon meant a lot. Obviously, the only way it could’ve been more special was to win.”
If Iola hopes to return to state next season, it will do so with an entirely new complexion. The Mustangs will graduate seven seniors, all of whom started or significant playing time.
“These seniors meant a lot to this program,” Peeper said. “We’re going to miss them.”
Iola (13-9-6-19—47)
Andale (18-9-17-12—56)
Iola (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Latta 4/1-0-4-11, Wallace 5-0-3-10, McIntosh 0-0-4-0, Macha 4/1-0-3-11, Powelson 1-0-3-2, Mueller 1-0-0-2, Zimmerman 0-0-4-0, Kauth 2-7-1-11. TOTALS: 17/2-7-22-47.
Andale (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Knoblauch 1-10-0-12, Macari 1-4-4-6, Walstad 0/2-2-2-8, Hermreck 2/1-2-2-9, Ast 3-1-3-7, Bruna 1-0-3-2, Roe 1-4-0-6, Anderson 0/2-0-0-6. TOTALS: 11/5-23-14-56.
Andale takes fends off Iola at state tourney
