WELLSVILLE — The Iola Mustangs came just short of pulling out a road win Friday against Pioneer League rival Wellsville in a 38-32 loss to the Eagles.
Wellsville was just one step ahead of Iola in the defensive showcase as the Eagles maintained a 5-point cushion through the final whistle in spite of a strong effort from the Mustangs.
“It was a low-scoring game. We got beat mentally early, and that set the tone for the whole game,” Iola coach Emily Sigg said. “It was just mental things at the beginning. That’s stuff we can control. I don’t know if it’s because we’re on game three this week, and we’re tired, but we talked about it. We can’t have already peaked. We can’t have already seen our last win. We have to keep going.”
A pair of close-range shots by junior forward Zoie Hesse and a bucket by junior guard Brooklyn Holloway kept Iola in contention early. Wellsville pulled away in the second quarter with Iola limited to just 4 points on a pair of buckets by freshman Haidyn Desmarteau, who went on to score a team-leading 18 points. The majority of Desmarteau’s production came in the fourth quarter but Iola’s rally fell short.
“We have to be mentally tough. We can’t let one, little thing get you off your game,” Sigg said. “We did that tonight. We let little things bother us. We tried to adjust a little bit.”
Hesse ended the night with 10 points, followed by Holloway and freshman guard Kinzley Fountain with a bucket each.
With the loss, the Mustangs’ losing streak extends to three games ahead of this week’s War on 54 Basketball Tournament.
They will take a break away from the Pioneer League, hosting the Tri-Valley League Cherryvale Chargers Tuesday, then the Three Rivers League Crest Lady Lancers Thursday, who come into the tournament 8-1 and flirting with a state ranking thanks to a four-game win streak.
“We were in the championship last year, and I think we can be in the championship game again this year,” Sigg said. “But we have to want to be there, we have to decide we’re going to be there. We’re going to prepare Monday for both of the teams and hopefully we get over our mental struggles.”
Tip-off for Tuesday’s game is at 5:30 p.m. The Mustangs tip-off against the Lady Lancers 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Both games will take place at Iola High School.
