IMS girls lose final games of the season

PARSONS — Iola Middle School’s eighth-grade girls lost a heartbreaker in their season 
finale Monday.
The Ponies and host Parsons Middle School’s Vikings battled throughout the four quarters. Parsons led 16-13 at halftime and it was 20-19 heading into the final period.
Parsons was able to hold off Iola down the stretch, outscoring the Ponies 13-11. Parsons edged Iola 31-30 on a last-second shot.
“Parsons threw a shot up with two seconds left to win. These girls came a long way over the course of the year,” said Marty Taylor, Iola Middle School head coach. “They gave one heck of an effort tonight.
“This group has probably improved about as much as any group I’ve had.”
Mikaela Platt paced the Ponies with 12 points and four rebounds. Hannah Ingle controlled eight rebounds and had seven points. Taylor Sell handled six rebounds and Ashlie Shields had five rebounds.
MaKayli Cleaver scored five points. Elise Wolf and Olivia Bannister each had two points while Sell and Shields each had one point.
The IMS eighth-grade A-team finished 3-13.
Despite holding Parsons scoreless in the fourth quarter, Iola’s seventh-grade A-team lost 24-18. Parsons had a 17-7 halftime lead.
“We just weren’t ready to play tonight. We played a better second half,” Taylor said. “These girls should be very proud of themselves for the effort they put in this year and the improvement they made.
“I’m looking forward to these girls getting stronger and improving even more next year.”
Sydney Wade fired in nine points for Iola. Lexi Heslop scored four points and cleared seven rebounds. Toni Macha had nine rebounds and three points while Riley Murry scored two points and had six rebounds.
The IMS seventh-grade A-team went 12-4 on the season.
In a combined B-team game, Iola beat Parsons 12-7. Micaiah Larney and Cloey Burris each had four points. Kayla Underwood and Bobbi Sinclair each scored two points.