Iola holds on for 56-54 win

Iola guard Cortland Carson hits 1,000 career points as the Mustangs upset Anderson County in last Friday's Pioneer Conference showdown.

February 17, 2025 - 6:34 PM

Iola senior guard Cortland Carson hits two of his team-leading 23 points last Friday against Anderson County.

GARNETT — The Iola Mustangs toppled Anderson County 56-54, who before Friday sat third in the Pioneer League standings. The Mustangs have won two in a row.

Down by an 11-point margin in the third quarter, the Mustangs (7-11, 3-7) clawed their way back into contention going on a 6-0 run with less than 2 minutes left in the fourth quarter — culminating in a game-winning jumper by Iola guard Cortland Carson, who passed 1,000 career points while scoring a team-leading 23 points.

“It was just get a good shot, play good defense and focus on the things you can control,” Carson said after the game. “We couldn’t let the moment get too big, and we had to finish the game. It’s just a blessing (reaching 1,000 points) and shows what all of my friends, family and coaches have done for me. It’s an exciting thing.”

Down by two with only seconds left on the clock, the Anderson County Bulldogs (11-6, 5-5) had time for one last inbound pass near the paint. A slew of timeouts from both teams raised the tension.

“The toughness that we played with tonight encouraged me that we can still accomplish some things,” Iola coach Luke Bycroft said. “Earlier in the season, when we played them, we got ourselves down. We made silly plays, bad turnovers and a couple of dunks. We kind of folded. Tonight, we were down 11 at the half.”

On the throw-in to Garnett senior center Noah Porter, Carson took a leaping swat at the ball — and missed. The commotion seemed to rattle Porter, who struggled to control the ball as it bounced off his fingers and careened out of bounds. An ensuing inbound pass to Iola guard Noah Bauer with 1.4 seconds on the clock sealed the victory.

“We knew we had to take away the basket and play everything in the lane,” Bycroft said. “They did it. They threw it to the rim, but we had guys there. They tipped the ball out and did exactly what we talked about.”

Bycroft said the tipping point of the game was in the second quarter. Already down on the scoreboard, Bycroft received a technical foul while arguing a call. The penalty resulted in a 5-point possession for Anderson County. Instead of breaking down as they did in their 68-46 loss to the Bulldogs, it motivated them to take responsibility for what they did on the court and not let the things they cannot control dissuade them.

“They did not let that take them out of the game,” Bycroft said. “They did not let the referees take them out of the game. They just responded possession after possession after possession. They showed a lot of toughness tonight. The season is not over yet. We can still build on this win.”

Believing the team’s brightest days are ahead, Coach Bycroft also believes falling to the Osawatomie Trojans 49-31 a few weeks ago was one of the team’s darkest moments this season. With a renewed sense of confidence, the Mustangs host Osawatomie (10-7, 3-7) Thursday.

“We’re excited to play Osawatomie again,” Bycroft said. “We’re ready to get that one over with because we know what we should do to them.”

Iola wraps up the regular season Feb. 24 for a rematch with the Wellsville Eagles (11-7, 6-3), who now occupy third in the Pioneer League standings. During their previous encounter last month, Wellsville walked away with an 80-49 victory.