BALDWIN CITY — Iola High’s Mustangs took the lead for good by the end of the first quarter Friday, eventually pushed the cushion to 20 and were never really threatened after that.
Still, Friday’s 58-43 win over Anderson County in the fifth-place game of the Bulldog-Wildcat Classic was anything but routine.
The Mustangs stayed in control despite losing the services of leading scorer Trent Latta for much of the second half because of foul trouble.
That, as much as anything, was most pleasing to head coach Bill Peeper.
“We needed that,” Peeper said. “This was definitely a good team effort.”
Anderson County’s up-tempo attack from the opening tip gave the Mustangs a spark, Peeper noted.
Senior reserve Jesse Zimmerman came off the bench in the first quarter and quickly scored six points. He scored two straight baskets after the Bulldogs had jumped to a 13-8 lead.
Tyler McIntosh’s bucket a short while later gave Iola the lead for good, 14-13.
The rally sparked a 17-3 Mustang run, capped by Tyler Powelson’s basket midway through the second quarter. Iola led 25-16.
The Bulldogs trimmed the lead to 28-24 by halftime before Iola again hit the jets on its transition game. The Mustangs scored the first eight points out of the locker room to open a 38-24 lead. The advantage was 43-27 by the end of the third quarter, with the game seemingly well in hand.
That’s when things got wacky.
Fryendz Wallace’s layup had given Iola a 47-27 lead early in the fourth quarter when Anderson County embarked on a 16-5 run, despite hitting only two field goals in the process.
That’s because the officials started calling fouls.
Lots of fouls.
The spurt ended Latta’s night at the 6:09 mark of the fourth quarter after he was called for offensive fouls twice — two of the six charging calls assessed to Iola on the night.
Peeper, too, was whistled for a technical after arguing Latta’s fourth foul.
“I guess the refs didn’t want to hear about it,” he said.
A Tanner Lickteig layup pulled Anderson County to within 52-43 by the 2:37 mark of the fourth quarter.
Iola lost the ball on a Lickteig steal, only to get it back seconds later when Wallace stripped Lickteig in the lane.
Kaden Macha, Adam Kauth and Tyler McIntosh each went a perfect 2-for-2 down the stretch from the free throw line to seal the win.
“We had a little adversity, but we handled it,” Peeper said. “We had a lot turnovers — our ball handling suffered at times — but ultimately, we made a lot of big plays. Jesse Zimmerman hit some huge shots, so did Kaden Macha and Tyler McIntosh. Kohl Endicott did a nice job down the stretch on defense.”
McIntosh led the way with 12 points, seven rebounds, six steals and three assists. Macha added 11 points, five rebounds and two assists. Powelson chipped in with 10 points and nine rebounds. Zimmerman added nine points. Adam Kauth pulled down four rebounds. Bryan Mueller and Latta had three and two steals, respectively. Kauth also had two assists.
“We shot a lot better tonight,” Peeper said. The Mustangs hit 20 of 36 field goals, 56 percent. “This game was good for us.”
Lickteig scored 17 to pace Anderson County. Spencer Walter followed with 12.
In other tournament action, Baldwin defeated Louisburg, 61-40, to take first place. Chanute defeated Burlington, 56-42, in the third-place game.
Iola (2-2 on the young season) returns to action Tuesday at Fredonia.
Anderson Co. (13-11-3-16—43)
Iola (18-12-13-15—58)
Anderson Co. (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Woodard 0-3-1-2, Lickteig 6-5-5-17, Ratliff 0-0-2-0, Hilliard 0/1-1-2-4, Comfort 0-0-3-0, Small 2-2-2-6, Rundle 0-1-2-1, Walter 0/2-6-5-12. TOTALS: 8/3-18-21-43.
Iola (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Latta 3-1-5-7, Mueller 1-1-4-3, Wallace 2-0-2-4, Endicott 0-0-1-0, McIntosh 3-6-Zimmerman 3/1-2-9, Macha 3/1-2-2-11, Kauth 0-2-1-2, Powelson 3-4-3-10. TOTALS: 18/2-16-24-58.
Iola overcomes foul trouble to topple Bulldogs
