The Iola Mustangs came a bucket shy of knocking off the Santa Fe Trail Chargers during a 58-56 Pioneer League slugfest Tuesday night.
Freshman guard Haidyn Desmarteau and junior guard Brooklyn Holloway lifted Iola to contention with a pair of double-digit scoring performances.
If only the Mustangs could have launched the potential game-winning shot in time.
“It was a good effort game, a good attitude game, and I could not be more happy with the girls who are playing,” Iola coach Emily Sigg said. “It would have been great to get a league win. That would have got us some attention.”
Holloway and Desmarteau accounted for all but two of Iola’s 14 points in the first quarter. Driving to the basket, the Mustangs racked up much of their early production from the free-throw line.
Santa Fe Trail ended the first quarter with a one-point lead, followed by a 19-12 run to end the half ahead 32-26.
“We did a good job defensively of getting little touches and converting them to points,” said Sigg, marveling how Tuesday’s contest seemed more of a game of chess than one on the hardwood. “They made adjustments on offense, so we had to adjust on defense and then their guards got hot. We have to get out more. We didn’t pressure the three.”
With Desmarteau hitting 4 of 6 free throws in the first half, the Chargers seemed reluctant to foul her in fast breaks after numerous steals at mid-court. She added nine of her team-leading 19 points in the second and third quarter. Junior forward Zoie Hesse asserted herself underneath while adding seven points in the second half to her 13-point total. That assertiveness may have opened up Holloway along the perimeter, who dropped 10 of her 18 points in the second half, including a pair of 3-pointers.
As Iola attempted to take the lead, strong perimeter shooting from Santa Fe Trail — including 11 treys — allowed them to keep Iola at bay. The Mustangs closed the gap to a single possession with seconds left in regulation, but could not get the shot off in time after the inbound pass. 
“We were converting on offense, but the last time we played them they had eight threes,” Sigg said. “We knew we had to take away the three but we allowed 11 of them. That was the difference in the game.”
With the loss, the Mustangs’ record fell to 4-13 overall and 3-5 in the Pioneer League while the Chargers improved to 13-4 and 6-1 in league play.
Iola will step away from the Pioneer League Friday, when they head on the road to face Chanute (9-6, 4-4) of the Southeast Kansas League. After seeing how her team made adjustments against the Chargers, Coach Sigg is excited to see what they can do against the Comets.
“We have a tough sub-state and we want to put ourselves in position to have a good first game,” Sigg said. “We’re focused on league. It’s important to us, but a first-round win would be something that hasn’t happened in a long time.”
