OSAWATOMIE — When Isaiah Fawson and Ethan Holloway are clicking at the same time, the Iola Mustangs are capable of playing beautiful offensive basketball.
“This is a turnaround point for our season,” Holloway said.
On Friday night, the Osawatomie Trojans got a taste of just how devastating that inside-out duo can be in a 53-37 loss.
“We haven’t shown much tenacity this season,” Iola coach Jay Applegate said. “We showed a lot of tenacity tonight.”
With Osawatomie holding a slim 6-5 lead in the first quarter, it was Holloway, who started gaining steam.
The 6-7 forward dropped in four-straight points to get his team a 9-6 lead and just as the Osawatomie defense began to sell out to but the clamps on Holloway, Fawson dropped in three point baskets on consecutive trip down the floor and Iola’s lead grew to 15-8 in the closing minutes of the first quarter.
“When I get doubled teamed, (Fawson) is there for the kick-out and we trust him to shoot the three,” Holloway said. “If I can pin my guy off, he knows he can shoot the three.”
Fawson wasn’t sure how effective he’d be before the game, but he quickly fell into a zone.
“I was feeling good,” Fawson said. “I was kind of surprised because I was sick yesterday, but I felt like I was reading it well so I could steal some passes too.”
Little did Osawatomie – who entered the game with a 5-2 record – know, that the 6-5 would turn out to be the only time they held a lead all night.
The Trojans cut the lead to just 17-16 early in the second quarter, but Iola senior Chase Regehr – making his second-straight start – scored on a layup to get the momentum back on the side of the blue and gold.
Regehr added three more points later in the quarter and Evan Sigg scored to increase the lead to 24-16.
Osawatomie scored the final five points of the first half, however, and went to the lockerroom only trailing by five.
Holloway and Fawson went back to work early in the second half and made sure that was as close as Osawatomie would get.
