What a difference 32 minutes of basketball can make.
Sophomore reserve Colbi Riley learned prior to Friday’s game she was going to be starting for Iola High’s Fillies, in place of star point guard Sydney Wade who went down earlier in the week with a sprained ankle.
“I was nervous,” Riley said with a laugh. “I was very nervous.”
After the game — a 34-28 victory over visiting Central Heights — Riley’s mindset took a definitive turn for the better.
“I was just really happy for the team,” she said. “I was just really happy, it was such a good feeling.”
She led the Fillies press, and effectively frustrated the opposing Viking guards.
She also moved the ball around on offense, getting the ball to her teammates in prime position to score.
“(My teammates) really helped a lot and they’ve been really encouraging,” Riley said.
“She is playing behind one of the best point guards in the state, but she stepped in and played some big minutes for us,” Iola head coach Becky Carlson said. “I can’t say enough about Colbi coming in and taking care of the ball and running the team,” Carlson said.
Riley only scored six points on the night as she settled into the role of facilitator for the majority of the evening.
But late in the game, the sophomore stepped up when needed.
She did so in an unusual position for her on the floor — crashing the glass.
Her putback off a miss gave Iola a 28-20 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
“Usually (coach) has me get back (on defense), but I was already under there and I knew we needed the points,” Riley said. “So I just went ahead and went in there and got it.”
Junior Toni Macha — has much more of a habit of executing such a play — followed her teammate’s lead during Iola’s next possession. Her putback pushed Iola’s lead to double digits.
“We needed those baskets right there,” Carlson said. “They tried to slow us down all night but they just couldn’t stop that.”
