Iola High’s girls and Burlington gave the fans an entertaining show Tuesday — at least through the first quarter.
The rivals traded the lead like it was a baseball card, six times through the first period to be exact, until the Wildcats ended the frame with four straight points to lead 18-15.
But while Burlington kept up its torrid scoring into the second quarter, Iola’s offense stalled.
The Mustangs’ 4-minute scoring drought saw the Wildcats turn a two-point lead to a 14-point margin.
Iola drew no closer than 11 the rest of the way in a 59-32 loss.
“A couple of things didn’t go our way, and our energy dipped,” Mustang interim coach Emily Sigg said. “We had a hard time getting the momentum back after that.”
The turnover bug, spurred on by Burlington’s pressure defense, was perhaps the biggest factor. Iola turned the ball over on five straight possessions midway through the second period as Burlington’s Alexa Splechter and Mac Medlock took over offensively.
Splechter scored nine of her game-high 20 points in the frame with three 3-pointers, while Medlock scored eight.
The Wildcats outscored Iola, 22-5, in the second period to take a 40-21 lead.
The lead quickly swelled beyond 20 early in the third quarter and by 30 in the early moments of the fourth.
Things went from bad to worse when Iola’s Harper Desmarteau injured her ankle after colliding with Burlington’s Jaci Belcher with 1:37 left in the game.
Desmarteau, Iola’s leading scorer on the season, led the Mustangs with nine points. Sigg was uncertain how long Desmarteau would be sidelined. Elza Clift added eight points.
Jaci Birk wound up with 16 and Medlock 12 for the Wildcats.
“They shot great,” Sigg said. “We’ve just got to be better.”
IOLA WON the junior varsity game, 31-7, in two quarters. Dally Curry led the way with 13 points, followed by Zoie Hesse with 10. Brooklyn Holloway and Bethany Miller chipped in with six and two, respectively.
