GARNETT — It stands to reason that Iola High’s up-and -down season would boil down to an up-and-down substate championship game.
That the Mustangs never blinked when their opponents from Anderson County opened the contest with a barrage of 3-pointers was key to a remarkable comeback — and in securing Iola’s first trip to the state basketball tournament in more than three decades.
Iola overcame an early 24-8 deficit by staying assignment-sound on defense, particularly down the stretch in a 56-46 victory.
The win puts Iola in the Class 4A-II state tournament, which opens Thursday in Park City. The Mustangs (10-12) will open play at 3 p.m. against top seed Andale (21-2) at Hartman Arena.
“This is the most memorable 10th win of a season I’ve ever been a part of,” Mustang head coach Bill Peeper joked.
Considering the circumstances, the Mustang faithful were justified with their celebration after Anderson County’s blistering start.
The Bulldogs hit three 3-pointers as part of a 21-2 run to turn a 6-3 Iola lead into a 24-8 Anderson County advantage by the 5:09 mark of the second period.
“I just told the guys that if we could weather the storm, we’d still have a shot,” Peeper said.
Not so coincidentally, Anderson County’s perimeter shots quit falling about the time Iola’s offense started to click.
Trent Latta jump-started the Mustang attack with consecutive driving layups to cut Anderson County’s lead to 12. Jesse Zimmerman followed moments later with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 26-15.
“I knew I needed to step up and be aggressive,” said Latta, who finished with a season-high 21 points.
The Bulldogs led 30-15 before Iola ended the half with 12 straight points.
Latta and Tyler McIntosh hit consecutive treys in the final two minutes of the second quarter before Tyler Powelson scored inside, Kaden Macha converted a steal and layup with 20 seconds left and Zimmerman hit a pair of free throws with 4 seconds remaining.
The run extended to 14 points when Powelson and Macha each scored inside, giving Iola its first lead, 31-30, since early in the first period.
The Bulldogs responded, scoring seven straight to take a 38-33 lead late in the third before Fryendz Wallace completed a 3-point play to trigger another 11-point Mustang run.
