Everything was going well for Iola High’s boys Tuesday evening.
Until it wasn’t.
And when it didn’t, things went south in a hurry.
Visiting Anderson County High stormed back from a 12-point, second-half deficit, outscoring the Mustangs 23-11 in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs’ Tyler Woodard scored from inside with 6.2 seconds left, the decisive points in a stunning, 66-64 win over Iola.
The loss drops Iola to 8-11 on the season and 4-5 in Pioneer League play. The win was just the third of the season for Anderson County.
Iola had one last shot at a tie, but Tyler McIntosh’s heavily guarded runner from the right elbow bounced off the rim. Trent Latta secured the ball after a brief scramble, but the buzzer sounded a split second before he could get off a putback attempt — one that missed, anyway.
“It’s a tough loss,” Mustang head coach Bill Peeper said.
“Credit to them. They hits some big, tough shots, and they’re still playing this hard while coming into tonight with only two wins. But shame on us for giving it to them.”
The Mustang led nearly the entire second half, taking the upper hand when Latta drained a pair of 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the third quarter.
Tyler Powelson and Adam Kauth both scored twice as part of a 9-2 run to put Iola on top 53-41 late in the third.
The momentum swung slowly but steadily in the fourth quarter, spurred on by eight Iola turnovers.
Zach Hillard scored on a drive and 3-pointer before Spencer Walter went 4-for-4 from the line to shave Iola’s lead to 56-52 at the 6:02 mark.
Latta’s steal and layup, followed by a Kauth free throw put Iola on top 61-57.
Walter countered with two charities to close the gap to two. Kauth hit the first of two free throws before Woodard scored on a layup to pull Anderson County to within 62-61.
Kauth scored again inside at the 1:30 mark.
The Mustangs missed a golden opportunity to extend the lead when Walter recorded a steal and drained a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left to tie the game.
Neither Kauth nor Latta could connect inside amid a cluster of defenders at the 30-second mark before the Bulldogs corralled a rebound.
Anderson County held for the final possession. Walter eventually drove to the basket, drew a pair of Mustang defenders, and deftly passed the ball to an open Woodard on the other side of the lane for the easy conversion.
“They hit big shots, we gave up too many possessions, and we put them on the line too often. Those are all the ingredients you need to lose, which is exactly what we did,” Peeper said.
Neither team could take control in the early going. The contest featured four ties and 11 lead changes in the first two quarters.
Iola led by as many as four, but Anderson County — behind three first-half treys by Walter — took a 31-29 lead into the break.
Kauth led four Iola players in double figures with 21 points, while Powelson and Fryendz Wallace scored 12 apiece. Powelson also had 11 rebounds, three steals and four assists. Wallace had seven rebounds and two steals. Latta had 10 points, six rebounds and two steals. Tyler McIntosh had seven rebounds and five assists.
Walter finished the night with 25 points, including 9 of 11 free throws. Woodard and Jacob Rundle scored 11 apiece. The Bulldogs hit 15 of 20 free throws, compared to Iola’s 8 of 11 from the line.
Anderson County prevailed in the junior varsity matchup, 55-46. Kohl Endicott had a team-high nine for the Mustang JV. Brett Taylor and Grant Dela Cruz scored eight, Gus Hopkins and Adam Peterson both had six, Ben Cooper added five and Alex Kelly and Gage Tomlinson had two each.
Iola won the C team affair, 47-40. Chase Regehr poured in 16 to lead Iola. Braden Plumlee scored eight, Isaiah Fawson and Mason Ingle both had six, Zane Beasley chipped in with three. Scoring two each were Gage Cleaver, Joel Zimmerman, Garrett Wade and Rhett Allen.
The Mustangs will wrap up the regular season at home Thursday against Wellsville in a game postponed from earlier this month due to snow.
The Class 4A, Division II Substate Tournament begins next week. Seedings will be announced today.
Anderson Co. (15-16-12-23—66)
Iola (16-13-24-11—64)
Anderson Co. (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Woodard 4-3-0-11, Braillier 0-0-1-0, Lickteig 0-0-3-0, Ratliff 0-0-1-0, Hilliard 2/3-0-0-13, Comfort 0-0-1-0, Small 0/2-0-2-6, Rundle 4-3-2-11, Walter 2/4-9-1-25. TOTALS: 12/9-15-11-66.
Iola (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Latta 2/2-0-2-10, Mueller 0-0-2-0, Wallace 5-2-2-12, McIntosh 1/1-1-3-6, Zimmerman 0/1-0-1-3, Kauth 8-5-1-21, Powelson 6-0-1-12, Peterson 0-0-1-0. TOTALS: 22/4-8-13-64.
Bulldogs storm back to stun Mustangs, 66-64
