OSAWATOMIE — The Iola High girls and boys basketball teams flipped the script from their game earlier in the week and swept Osawatomie on the road Friday night.
The Mustang girls spread the floor offensively and got everyone involved in a 56-22 victory over the Trojans. The Iola boys turned the intensity up a notch in the second half, forced turnovers and took advantage of their own possessions in a 63-52 win.
Girls Basketball
Head coach Kelsey Johnson’s squad came out strong in the first half considering a 25-point loss to Fort Scott earlier in the week. Aysha Houk got things rolling for her Mustangs early when she netted a couple of layups and a three in the first quarter to take a nine point lead.
Reese Curry was also a factor for the Mustangs underneath the basket when she banked in a couple of layups and hit a free throw in the first quarter. Osawatomie responded in the opening quarter with an Erin Upshaw layup for the Trojans only points from the floor.
“I think that was the key to us winning and we had four girls in double figures so we’ll be a hard team to beat if it’s not just one girl to stop,” said Johnson. “The girls are stepping up, which was our focus. We can’t rely on Aysha all the time and it was a good bounce back.”
Iola led Osawatomie heading to the second quarter, 12-3.
Keira Fawson joined Curry under the basket in the second quarter when she went up for a trio of layups to help extend the lead. Both Houk and Curry also went for a pair of two-point baskets and Elza Clift registered a layup and a free throw in the second quarter.
The Trojans received a pair of three-point buckets from Claire Hall while Maddie Hampton also found her shot and hit a three before halftime. The baskets were some of Osawatomie’s only points before half and Iola led heading to the locker room, 31-15.
The Mustangs continued to get everyone involved on the offensive end and force the Trojans into poor shots in the second half when Karington Hall got more involved and rolled in a few layups. Clift also scored a layup and hit a couple of free throws while Fawson went for a two.
Hall was the only Osawatomie scorer in the third quarter after she nailed a three and knocked down a pair of free throws. Iola extended their lead even further heading to the fourth quarter, 43-20.
“We just knew their offense was to catch it and shoot it when they were open so as long as we got a hand in their face, it’s not going to be a good shot,” Johnson said. “Long shots are long rebounds and I thought the girls did a good job of that tonight, finding somebody and boxing out. I thought the girls did a good job of that.”
Houk would lead the finishing touches on the victory when she sank a few two-point baskets while Alana Mader, Hall and Fawson each banked in a layup to blow Osawatomie out of the building.
The Trojans would score a lone basket in the final quarter on a layup off the fingers of Upshaw. The final meant that Iola outscored Osawatomie in every quarter by at least seven points in a 34-point victory.
The Mustangs were led offensively by Houk’s 17 points and Hall and Fawson each dropping in 10 points apiece. Curry also added nine points while Clift chipped in with eight points.
