Grizzlies down Iola for tourney title

BURLINGTON — For more than a quarter, Iola High and Labette County were putting on a show befitting of a tournament championship.
Neither team led by more than two points as the Mustangs and Grizzlies traded field goals, 3-pointers and defensive stops.
But Labette County’s Tucker Thompson ended the deadlock. His 3-pointer with under 6 minutes left in the first half triggered a 7-0 Grizzlies run, giving Labette County the lead for good, 20-13.
Iola rebounded, briefly. Levi Ashmore’s 3-pointer closed the gap to four, before Thompson responded again with an off-balance baseline shot that somehow connected while he fell to the floor.
The Grizzlies took control from there, converting several transition field goals to defeat the Mustangs 57-37 in the championship game of the Burlington Invitational Tournament.
Iola (7-5) returns to action Friday at Fort Scott. Saturday’s loss snaps a five-game winning streak for the Mustangs.
“The guys did a good job at the start of not letting the situation get to them,” Mustang coach Bill Peeper said. “But things got away from them for a while, and their transition game hurt us.”
Labette County utilized an 11-0 run early in the second half to push out to a 37-20 lead.
The Mustangs threatened to get back within single digits on a field goal by Trent Latta followed by a pair of free throws and a buzzer-beating putback by Kaden Macha to cut Labette County’s lead to 37-26 by the end of the third quarter.
But the Grizzlies’ Dontae Johnson connected with a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, followed seconds later by a steal and layup to re-establish a 16-point lead.
The Grizzlies outscored Iola 20-11 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
The first quarter featured three ties and five lead changes.
Latta scored for the Mustangs, followed a short while later by a 3-pointer by Mason Coons. Tyler Powelson’s field goal tied the score at 7-7, as did Ashmore’s at 9-9 with 2:23 left in the first. Eli Grover hit two free throws with 1:03 left in the period to give Iola an 11-9 lead, its last of the game.
Latta’s field goal early in the second period tied the score at 13-13, which precipitated Labette County’s 7-0 run to take the lead for good.
Ashmore, one of two Iola players named to the all-tournament team, led the Mustangs with nine points, two assists and a block. Latta and Coons scored seven points apiece. Coons also had five rebounds. Powelson, the second Mustang earning all-tournament recognition, pulled in eight rebounds. Tyler McIntosh and Grover came off the bench to lead Iola with three and two steals, respectively.
“We missed quite a few inside baskets, which has been a trend for us,” Peeper said. “Labette County is a good team, and they played well. “
Johnson led the Grizzlies with 17 points. Thompson, who added another acrobatic field goal in the second half, scored 15 points. He was named to the tournament’s most valuable player. Lee Reliford scored 13 for Labette County.
Iola (11-7-8-11—37)
Labette Co. (12-14-11-20—57)
Iola (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Ashmore 1/2-1-0-9, Coons 2/1-0-1-7, Morrison 0-0-1-0, Latta 3-1-0-7, Macha 2-2-1-6, Kauth 1-0-1-2, Powelson 2-0-1-4, Grover 0-2-0-2. TOTALS: 11/3-6-5-37.
Labette Co. (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Johnson 4/3-0-2-17, Dawty 2-0-2-4, Page 0-0-1-0, Reliford 5-3-1-13, Dadsworth 0-0-3-0, Thompson 3/3-0-1-15, Stewart 4-0-3-8. TOTALS: 18/6-3-13-57.