BALDWIN CITY — Iola High’s early offensive struggles continued Wednesday.
Their hosts from Baldwin High had something to do with that.
The Bulldogs, featuring a front line of three players 6-4 or taller, made life miserable for the Mustangs, challenging every shot Iola attempted in the paint.
Conversely, the Bulldogs repeatedly fed their post players, mixed in a pair of buzzer-beaters and other big shots throughout the game, and emerged with a 58-33 win in the second round of the Bulldog-Wildcat Classic.
The loss drops the Mustangs to 0-2 in tournament play. The Mustangs (1-2 overall) will take on Anderson County at about 6 p.m. Friday in Baldwin’s High School gymnasium for the fifth-place game.
“This is the second game in a row where we couldn’t find any kind of a flow or rhythm on offense,” Iola head coach Bill Peeper said.
Still, Iola was able to stay within shouting distance with some defensive intensity of its own.
Kaden Macha’s jumper just inside the 3-point range early in the first quarter was Iola’s only field goal until Macha scored again at the 6:45 mark — of the second period.
Meanwhile, Baldwin’s 6-3 senior Michael Burton scored six points as the Bulldogs forged ahead 11-2 by the 2:35 mark of the opening quarter.
Luke Fursman’s basket pushed Baldwin’s lead to 13-4.
Macha’s second quarter bucket was answered by Burton’s basket inside, followed by a Luke Fursman 3-pointer, putting the Bulldogs on top 21-6.
Iola senior Adam Kauth came off the bench to give Iola its first real offensive spark, scoring six straight for the Mustangs at one point with four free throws and a putback.
“Adam Kauth had his best game of the season,” Peeper said. “He got himself involved in all facets of the game, offensively, defensively, rebounding. He was engaged at both ends of the floor.”
The spurt pulled Iola to within 23-14 before Baldwin’s Cornell Browned drained a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to push the Bulldog lead back into double digits.
Iola didn’t go away quietly. Trent Latta drained a 3-pointer, then scored on a layup to pull the Mustangs to within 30-21 midway through the third quarter.
That was as close as Iola could get. Baldwin’s Jackson Barth drained two straight 3-pointers as part of a 12-1 run to put the Bulldogs firmly in control. Brown’s steal and layup at the buzzer gave Baldwin a 42-22 lead after three.
“We didn’t do a terrible job defensively, but we have got to find a way to get things done offensively,” Peeper said. “That’s tough to do against a good team.”
Latta led the Mustangs with nine points and two steals. Kauth and Macha each scored eight points. Kauth had a team-high six rebounds. Tyler McIntosh had five boards and three assists. Tyler Powelson had five rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Kohl Endicott also had two steals.
“Trent and Tyler Powelson are putting too much pressure on themselves to shoulder the scoring for us,” Peeper said. “Not to take anything away from the teams we played here — they’re both good teams — but I think we’re a better team than we’ve shown.”
Iola (4-10-8-11—33)
Baldwin (11-15-16-16—58)
Iola (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Latta 2/1-2-1-9, Mueller 0-0-1-0, Wallace -0-0-2-0, Endicott 1-0-2-2, McIntosh 0-0-1-0, Zimmerman 1-0-1-2, Macha 3-2-1-8, Kauth 2-4-1-8, Powelson 1-2-3-4. TOTALS: 10/1-10-13-33.
Baldwin (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Brown 4/1-2-2-13, Craig 1-0-1-2, Ward 0/1-3-1-6, Fursman 3/1-0-3-9, Barth 0/2-0-1-6, Burton 7-3-4-17, Twombly 1-1-2-3, Peterson 1-0-0-2. TOTALS: 17/5-9-14-58.
Bulldog defense thwarts Iola
