RICHMOND — The Iola Mustangs finished fifth at the Ike Cearfoss Basketball Tournament after holding on for a 46-42 victory over Kansas City Christian Friday night.
After junior leading scorer Austin Crooks fouled out with more than 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Coach Luke Bycroft needed some players to step up. Senior Nich Bauer, junior Keegan Hill and sophomore Reed Clift were up for the task.
“Those guys put it on themselves to get a couple of extra shots, a couple of extra buckets or attacks to the rim,” Bycroft said. “In the first half, we shot a lot of jump shots and they weren’t falling. In the second half, those guys put the ball in the paint and attacked their defense. Good things happened because we got to the free-throw line.”
Although successful free-throws by Clift, Hill and Bauer made the difference in the scorebook, Bycroft said what really won the game was Iola’s defense.
Bycroft figured out KCC’s offensive scheme when paired against Iola’s man-to-man defense, which is what the Mustangs practice every day.
“We went back to our man in the whole second half and only gave up 15 points to a good offensive team,” Bycroft said.
“That’s how we won that game. Offensively, we weren’t that great. We missed a lot of shots. We were slow on our cuts, but we won it on defense.”
Despite the early exit, Crooks finished with a team-leading 15 points, followed by Hill with 13 points, and Bauer with 7 points. Bauer had a team-leading four assists and also led Iola in steals with three, followed by Clift with two.
With the win, the Mustangs improved to 3-1 and host Fort Scott Monday evening. Those scores were not available by press time. Check iolaregister.com for results.
The Mustangs return to Pioneer League play Tuesday, when they head on the road to face the Burlington Wildcats. Tip-off for the ninth-grade team is at 4 p.m.
“I feel good with where we are,” Bycroft said. “I knew we would face some tough teams. I like the growth. I like our toughness more than our 3-1 record.”
