Mustangs drop overtime thriller

Everything about Friday night was entertaining for Iola High basketball fans — except for the final score.
The Mustangs and visiting Anderson County traded baskets all night like baseball cards. On nine separate occasions, the teams were tied. There were 15 lead changes.
When one or the other looked to get some breathing room, the other usually responded in quick fashion.
That back-and-forth beauty changed suddenly in overtime, when the Mustangs’ two most experience guards, Levi Ashmore and Trent Latta, were disqualified because of fouls.
Anderson County took full advantage.
Their absence led to game’s most pivotal sequence, which gave the Bulldogs the lead for good with 1:32 left in overtime,.
The Bulldogs pulled down a pair of crucial offensive rebounds on missed free throws, with a steal mixed in, turning a 64-64 deadlock into a 69-64 lead with 1:25 on the clock.
Iola didn’t go down without a fight. Mason Coons pulled Iola to within three points on a pair of free throws with just over a minute left, but the Bulldogs hit four straight free throws from there to seal a 75-71 win.
The loss is the fourth in a row for the Mustangs, who fell to 7-8 on the season, including three overtime defeats.
“From a fan’s perspective, this was a great game to watch,” Mustang coach Bill Peeper said. “Both teams were going after each other, and you had players from both teams making big shots. It was an exciting, scrappy game.”
But…
“We just seem to be unable to finish,” Peeper said. “We struggle at times to do what needs to be done to get these wins. It’s not for lack of effort. It’s not a lack of trying.”
The game was noteworthy for its back-and-forth volleys, almost from the opening tip.
Iola led 24-21 when Anderson County went on the first extended run, with an 8-2 spurt to lead 29-26.
But Iola bounced back with a 13-4 run spanning both sides of intermission.
Coons’ trey with 5:13 left in the period put Iola up by six, its largest lead of the game.
Walter promptly responded with a pair of 3-pointers in a 20-second span to tie score at 39-39 midway through the quarter.
The lead changed hands four times over the next nine minutes of court time, with neither team leading by more than three until Walter hit a 3-pointer to lead 58-53 with 3:28 left in regulation.
But Coons scored for Iola, and Ashmore quashed Anderson County’s attempt to run its stall offense with a steal and layup with 2:12 remaining, pulling Iola within 58-57.
Iola regained possession on a tie-up, then promptly lost possession on a second tie-up nine seconds later.
But the Bulldogs’ Zach Hilliard missed on a jumper that Adam Kauth rebounded, leading to a foul on Latta. Latta hit the first of two free throws to tie the score.
Both teams came up empty on their next possession. Drew Mechnig missed on the front end of a 1-and-1 with 1:05 left, then Coons and Kauth both misfired on Iola’s turn at the ball. A backcourt violation on the Bulldogs set up Iola for a final shot.
Ashmore drove to the left elbow, but his field goal attempt was wide as the buzzer sounded.
The teams traded leads six times early in the overtime. Kauth’s 3-point play with 2:24 left on the clock gave Iola 64-62 lead, but Walter responded with two free throws to tie the score, starting a 7-0 run.
The spurt, not so coincidentally, came with Ashmore and Latta on the bench.
“Losing those two was huge because Anderson County likes to press,” Peeper said. “They’re a good team.”
Nine players in all scored in double figures, including a quintet for the Mustangs.
Coons led the way with 16 points, followed by Kauth with 15, Ashmore with 12 and McIntosh and Latta with 10 apiece.
“I’ve really been impressed with how Tyler McIntosh has played the last two games,” Peeper said. “He’s really been aggressive.”
Tyler Powelson and McIntosh both had four rebounds, followed by Coons with three. Latta and Ashmore had four and three steals, respectively. Ashmore also had four assists, followed by Coons and McIntosh with three apiece.
Tastove scored 18 to pace Anderson County, followed by Walter with 16, Tanner Lickteig with 14 and Mechnig with 13.
“We just couldn’t come up with the defensive stops when we needed to, or we were just short on a key rebound,” Peeper said.
Iola’s junior varsity defeated Anderson County 58-48. Kaden Macha led the Mustang JV with 5 points, followed by Kohl Endicott with 12, Fryendz Wallace and Shane Walden with seven, Travis Hermstein, Jesse Zimmerman and Adam Peterson with four each, Bryan Mueller and Matt Jacobs both with two and Alex Bauer with one.
The Mustang C team fell 56-40. Peterson and Jacobs scored eight and seven points, respectively.
Iola returns home next Friday to host Central Heights for homecoming.
Anderson Co. (13-18-16-11-17—75)
Iola (13-19-12-14-13—71)
Anderson Co. (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Dial 1-2-2-4, Lickteig 5-4-4-14, Mechnig 1/1-8-3-13, Hilliard 2-0-1-4, Woodard 0-0-2-0, Rickabaugh 2-0-3-4, Small 0-2-1-2, Tastove 9-0-3-18, Walter 2/3-3-5-16. TOTALS: 22/4-19-24-75.
Iola (FG/3pt-FT-F-TP): Latta 2/1-3-5-10, Ashmore 3/1-3-5-12, Coons 3/2-4-2-16, McIntosh 2-6-5-11, Macha 1-0-3-2, Kauth 5-5-2-15, Powelson 3-0-2-6. TOTALS: 19/4-21-24-71.