Iola High’s offense went cold just as Prairie View’s Kally Stroup started heating up Thursday.
Stroup scored 26 points, including several key buckets in the second half as the Buffalos ended the game with a 30-12 run spanning the second half to win, 56-44.
The loss puts the Mustangs at 3-3 entering the Christmas break.
“That’s a tough loss,” Mustang interim head coach Emily Sigg said. “The effort was there, but we got a little rushed on offense. We’d work the ball around, but get panicked and put up some bad shots.”
Not only that, but the game’s physical style affected Iola’s ability to hit shots when players were open.
“We worked well together, but it was physical inside, and there wasn’t a lot being called by the officials,” Sigg said. “And when our shots don’t fall, the girls tend to get hard on themselves.”
It wasn’t like that early.
Elza Clift opened the proceedings with a 3-pointer before Reese Curry scored six straight as Iola raced out to a 9-4 lead. Harper Demarteau, who left Tuesday’s game early due to an ankle injury, looked mostly recovered Thursday with a layup and 3-pointer to end the quarter with Iola on top 15-4.
Iola led 21-11 before Prairie View clawed its way back to 21-19. Curry’s bucket late in the period put Iola ahead 23-19 at the break.
But Stroup hit a 3-pointer to open the third quarter to pull the Buffalos even closer. Her jumper just beating the shot block buzzer late in the third sliced Iola’s lead to 29-28, and seemingly shifted momentum for good.
The Buffalos’ Riley Lueker knotted the score with a free throw before another Iola turnover preceded a Laramie Stevens putback to give Prairie View a 31-29 lead.
Curry scored inside to tie the score once again but Stroup followed with a pair of 3-pointers — one to end the third quarter; the other to open the fourth — and suddenly Iola was down 37-31.
Desmarteau drained a pair of free throws, and Curry scored again with 3½ minutes left in the game to pull Iola to within four, but that was it for the Mustangs.
“Our effort was better tonight” than in Iola’s previous loss to Burlington on Tuesday, Sigg said. “We still have room to grow. We have little areas where we can improve.”
Curry’s 14 points led Iola, followed by Desmarteau with eight. Hesse scored five.
