The Iola Mustangs snapped a five-game losing streak Tuesday night, pummeling the Prairie View Buffalos, 76-61.
The Mustangs trailed early in the first quarter, 11-4, but found their footing to pour on the points. The win brings Iola one game shy of .500 in Pioneer League play. They face Anderson County in Friday’s Winter Homecoming game.
Despite the win, Jason Bauer, assistant coach, saw room for improvement.
“We didn’t come out with effort in the first quarter, and the boys thought they could just walk on the court and win,” Bauer said. “On any given night you can lose to anybody if you don’t play hard. We just have to come out mentally better.”
Bauer filled in for Iola head coach Luke Bycroft who was serving a one-game suspension after his ejection from Friday’s game against Chanute. After making a few adjustments, junior guard Austin Crooks exploded with a field goal sandwiched between a pair of 3-pointers, which put Iola on an 11-4 run and tied the contest 15-15 before the second quarter. Crooks had a massive night, scoring 24 points.
“They need to start believing they can compete with anybody,” Bauer said. “When they believe that, and they play together, they can do some great things.”
Sophomore forward Mosiah Fawson, who had a team-leading seven rebounds, proved a difficult foil with 10 of his 12 points coming in the first half. Sophomore guard Colton Thompson also provided another option for Iola with a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter while making timely plays on defense.
“Bauer trusted me to get in and play defense, which is one of the most important parts of basketball,” said Thompson, who had a team-leading five steals and five assists. “We just needed energy and good defense leads to good offense. We moved the ball around well tonight, giving us open shots and open looks.”
Thompson’s second 3-pointer was followed by Fawson picking up three on a contested shot and follow-up free-throw, giving Iola a 21-18 lead mid-way through the second quarter. The lead-change was the final one of the night.
Prairie View got within a few possessions of evening the score but not enough to take away the Mustangs’ momentum. Bauer attributed much of the credit for Iola’s success in the second half to the Mustangs’ defense, but there was one other factor.
Buried under the flashy second-half shots and drives was senior forward Brennan Coffield’s 17-point contribution. With only a pair of free-throws in the first half, Coffield quietly racked up 15 points on a pair of third-quarter 3-pointers and a trio of follow-up field goals.
“I thought I was pretty efficient tonight,” said Coffield. “It felt good. We moved the ball much better, especially later in the game.”
With the win, the Mustangs’ record improved to 9-11 overall and 4-5 in league play. Iola can get to .500 in league play with a win over the Anderson County Bulldogs. If positioning in the league standings wasn’t motivation enough, then avenging their loss to the Bulldogs in the War on 54 Basketball Tournament championship game may make a win Friday a bit more sweet.
“If we come out and let the defense lead the offense, then we give ourselves a chance to win every game from here on out,” Bauer said. “If we can play like that, leading up to substate, who knows. Anything can happen.”
Tip-off for Friday’s game will be 20 minutes after the conclusion of the girls’ 6 p.m.
