The Iola Mustangs were on the losing end of a battle of attrition to the Fort Scott Tigers Monday night, falling in their home opener 56-43.
The Mustangs were behind 28-26 entering halftime, and were unable from there to keep up the Tigers who pulled away in the third and fourth quarters.
“They played hard, and that kept us in the game,” Iola coach Luke Bycroft said. “We battled, but their dribble-drives were getting way too deep. They were splitting us in the paint and getting good looks or kickouts or dunks. Our on-ball defense wasn’t the problem. Our help was too late.”
While Fort Scott went on the attack in the paint, Iola chose a counter-puncher’s approach on offense.
After weeks of relying on junior guard Austin Crooks to carry them through, more Mustangs made their presence known Monday, including junior guard Roy Gordon.
Crooks netted a team-leading 14-points with Gordon getting hot as well in the first half with a pair of three pointers and a bucket for seven of his total 9 points contribution.
With more Mustangs scoring, Crooks also had the team lead in assists with four, followed by senior guard Nick Bauer with three.
Although successful on offense, Iola was far from flawless, Bycroft said, failing to complete many drives successfully due to poor shooting and lacking offensive rebounds for second-chance opportunities. On the other end, Fort Scott capitalized. 
“Fort Scott got a lot of offensive rebounds and put the ball back in the hole when they did,” Bycroft said. “We just didn’t shoot the ball very well. There were big moments when we were running and we would knock a shot down and that kept us in the game. The second half, we just couldn’t get those shots to fall.”
The Mustangs return to the hardwood Tuesday while jumping back into Pioneer League play for their final two contests before the Christmas break.
Bycroft believes Iola can hold their own with Burlington Tuesday, but the quick turnaround hinders their preparation for Burlington’s style of play.
With a Wednesday practice separating their Thursday contest against Prairie View, Bycroft may like the Mustangs’ matchup against the Buffalos a bit more.
“We can make up for things with effort. I don’t think things were poor tonight, but there were things we did poorly that kept us from winning,” Bycroft said.
“If we make a few more shots, make a few more defensive rebounds or keep them out of the lane, any of those things and it’s a one-possession game. All three of those things, and we win the game. We play hard but we have to do the right things while playing hard.”
With the loss, the Mustangs fall to 3-2 overall. They are undefeated in Pioneer League play after last week’s victory over Anderson County. Regardless of whether they win or lose the next two games, Bycroft remains excited in his program believing they can resolve their shortcomings with a renewed focus in practice over the Christmas break. 
“We definitely need more practice time. It’s hard right now with three games in four days,” Bycroft said. “It makes it difficult to get things corrected. We can identify them. We can talk about them and watch them on film.
