Iola holds off Buffalo stampede

A second-quarter outburst gave Iola High’s boys just the kick they needed Friday evening.
The Mustangs erupted for 24 points in the quarter, turning a 13-8 deficit into a 32-25 halftime lead.
Iola never looked back from there, gradually pulling away from visiting Prairie View down the stretch in a 56-45 win.
The victory lifts Iola above .500 for the first time in the 2012-13 season at 5-4. The Mustangs also keep their Pioneer League mark perfect at 3-0.
Head Coach Bill Peeper was most impressed with Iola’s “workmanlike” effort in a game which neither team could put together extended scoring runs.
“This was one of those ‘grind it out’ wins,” Peeper said. “We had a little trouble getting started offensively, but once we got settled into a good rhythm in the second quarter, everybody stepped up.”
Indeed, Iola once again featured a balanced scoring attack, with four players scoring between 10 and 14 points.
“If we can continue to do that, we’ll be a lot tougher for other teams to deal with,” Peeper said. “I like that it’s not the exact same people stepping up each night.”
Iola took the lead for the first time when Mason Coons erupted for six straight points, courtesy of a trey followed by a traditional 3-point play at the 3:38 mark.
As it turns out, Prairie View would not lead again.
Ashmore capped the first half with eight points on a layup and 6-for-6 free throw shooting.
The Mustangs, after trailing 13-6 early on, carried a seven-point advantage into halftime.
Prairie View opened the second half with a pair of Shay Spears baskets, cutting Iola’s lead to 32-29, before Iola responded with a Tyler Powelson basket, an Ashmore 3-pointer and two Adam Kauth free throws.
Kauth’s charities with 2 minutes left in the third period pushed Iola’s lead to double digits for the first time at 42-31. The advantage grew to as large as 14, but never shrank below eight down the stretch.
“It was one of those games where we got the lead, but they just kept hanging around,” Peeper said. “I liked how Levi went to the hole, and Adam attacked the basket.”
Even amid the team’s equitable scoring attack, a handful of individual performances stand out.
Junior forward Tyler Powelson delivered 10 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks.
“Tyler played an incredible game for us,” Peeper said. “I thought he did a nice job defending their big guys. He really made things happen offensively and defensively.”
Meanwhile, Ashmore went 9 of 10 from the free throw line as part of his team-high 14 points to go with four steals and four assists.
Coons scored 10 of his 11 points before halftime, while Kauth delivered 13 points.
Trent Latta went 5 of 6 from the line, including 4 of 4 in fourth quarter to go with three steals. Tyler McIntosh pulled in four rebounds. Eli Grover added a block.
Iola hit 22 of 30 free throws in the game.
Phelps wound up with 15 points to lead Prairie View. Zach Craig scored nine.
The game had a little extra flair, courtesy of the IHS pep band and its special guest performers from Wichita State University.
The band regaled the crowd with a number of recognizable rock songs and TV theme show tunes.
One highlight was when they played the “Jeopardy” theme whenever the officials would gather to huddle.
“The pep band always does a great job for us,” Peeper said. “Having the guest performers made it even more special.”
The game also featured a “silent night” cheer in which Iola’s raucous student section stayed stone silent for much of the early going until Coons scored midway through the first quarter on a layup.
The basket pushed Iola’s point total past 5, the trigger for the crowd to erupt in an eardrum-splitting cheer and standing ovation.
Prairie View won the junior varsity contest 57-35. Shane Walden led Iola’s JV with 12 points. Fryendz Wallace scored seven, Alex Bauer four, Bryan Mueller four, Matt Jacobs and Adam Peterson three each and Travis Hermstein one.
Iola’s C team fell 43-33. Jacobs scored nine and Gus Hopkins eight.
Iola heads to Burlington Tuesday to begin midseason tournament action. The Mustangs will face Sabetha at 5:05 p.m.
Prairie View (13-12-8-12—45)
Iola (8-24-12-12—56)
PV (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Phelps 2/3-2-2-15, Craig 4-1-3-9, Spears 3-0-1-6, Lee 0-0-4-0, Fisher 0-0-2-0, Lentile 1/1-0-2-5, Miller 1/1-0-4-5, Ross 2-1-2-5. TOTALS: 13/5-4-20-45.
Iola (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Latta 0-5-4-5, Ashmore 1/1-9-1-14, Coons 3/1-2-3-11, McIntosh 1-1-3-3, Clubine 0-0-2-0, Kauth 4-5-0-13, Powelson 5-0-2-10. TOTALS: 19/2-22-15-56.