Iola Middle School’s boys basketball teams went 1-3 to tip off the season on Thursday against Burlington.
The seventh-grade B team lost 20-9. The seventh-grade A team lost 22-15. The eighth-grade B team won 20-12. The eighth-grade A team lost 42-31.
Many of Iola’s players were playing in their first organized basketball games, according to Iola head coach Ben Wiehn.
In the seventh-grade B matchup, Burlington’s offense stretched out to a 4-0 lead while holding Iola scoreless. The Mustangs woke up in the second quarter with four of their own, but Burlington’s offense continued to dominate thanks to the Wildcats’ Logan Turner who had six points in the first half.
The Wildcats led 12-4 at the break.
Iola’s defense came out better in the second half, holding the Wildcats to two points in the third, but Iola’s offensive woes continued.
The Mustangs failed to score until Caden Coltrane took over the game for Iola in the fourth, scoring all five points for the Mustangs in the quarter. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late for the Mustangs as Burlington added six of their own in the fourth to pull out the win.
Coltrane scored five points and Brock Michael scored four.
7th Grade A Team
Both teams started slowly in the seventh-grade A game.
Iola found good shots, and capitalized on a few of them. The Mustangs failed to get offensive rebounds and second-chance shots in the first half.
Neither team could take advantage of miscues by the other, leading to a low scoring, 6-6 tie at the break.
Coming out of halftime, Iola shot the ball better, but Burlington had the advantage in the paint. Iola struggled to take care of the ball, turning it over in spades, allowing Burlington take an 18-11 lead. Iola tried to come back in the fourth, but the comeback effort was shut down by Burlington’s defense.
Kale Pratt scored six points. Jase Herrmann and Luke Coronado scored four each. Ruger Boren and Amos Rutoh scored one.
“It was kind of a sloppy game, but I told the boys that we would learn a lot tonight,” said Wiehn. “I loved the attitude and the effort from our seventh-graders tonight.”
