A heroic second half effort just wasnt enough for the Iola boys Thursday night at home versus Anderson County.
The Mustangs got close to overcoming a second half double-digit deficit but to no avail, as they fell 65-60.
Im extremely proud of these boys and how they competed, head coach Luke Bycroft said. We didnt give up and we worked our tails off to get back in the game. If we played that way all four quarters tonight then it probably would have been a different story on the scoreboard.
The game was the fourth for the Mustangs in the last six days and the third in the last three days thanks to winter-related postponements.
Despite tired legs, the Iola boys minds were sharp. They trailed by 14 at the half and 10 heading into the fourth quarter. From there the Mustangs systematically worked the Bulldogs lead down to as little as four.
They had opportunites to get closer but with the refs calling very few fouls around the basket plus multiple easy shots not falling, they could get no closer.
We got the ball inside a lot, Bycroft said. We shot 41 two-point baskets tonight and we still didnt get any fouls called. It was a physical game. But our boys have to overcome that.
Early on in the game, Iola went step-for-step with Anderson County and only trailed 12-10 after the first quarter.
But multitudes of missed lay-ups and open shots in the second quarter allowed the Bulldogs to stretch their lead to double-digits.
I think we were frustrated with missing easy shots and then not getting any calls and that led to a bit of a let-down for us in the first half, Bycroft said. In the second half we did a much better job of mentally playing through that.
Despite the loss, Bycroft was impressed and pleased with his teams effort to both stay in the game and attempt a comeback despite the latter failing. He noted that as recent as two weeks ago when the Mustangs played at Santa Fe Trail that the Mustangs werent playing with the amount of effort that he sees now.
This is a different team, Bycroft said. I wish we wouldve done things better in the first half and sometimes you dont, but you have to find a way to stop the bleeding and make the next play. We did that tonight and we gave ourselves a chance. The mental toughness of this group is outstanding. Its what gives us a chance to win.
Junior Cal Leonard had 15 followed by 10 for senior Kane Rogers.
The Mustangs will now set their sights on the final week of the regular season. They will travel to Wellsville, a team they beat earlier in the year, on Tuesday before facing Santa Fe Trail on Thursday.
Weve got to keep playing the same way and we have to find a way to do it for four quarters because it will take four quarters to beat Wellsville and Santa Fe Trail, Bycroft said. We want to see that consistency where were doing things the right way. I want us to win the games but I also want us to keep growing.
