RICHMOND — It took a quarter or so for Iola High’s offense to find its groove Tuesday against host Central Heights.
The Mustang defense had no such problem.
Iola asserted its defensive dominance early, slowly building to a 12-2 lead.
The Mustangs defeated the Vikings, 52-28.
The victory is Iola’s second straight to open the 2020-21 season, although head coach Luke Bycroft had some concerns entering the night.
“We didn’t have a good practice Monday,” he said. “I wasn’t sure what to expect.”
His concerns were allayed rather quickly, even though Iola’s outside shots weren’t falling in the early going.
And while Iola was able to limit the Vikings inside, outside and everywhere in between, Central Heights couldn’t find its rhythm, allowing Iola junior Tyler Boeken to score twice in the early going.
Dillon Bycroft then connected with Jack Adams inside for another score. Zach Louk’s inside bucket late in the period pushed Iola up 14-4.
By the second quarter Iola’s offense started to click, largely courtesy of the Mustang defense.
The Mustangs maintained a double-digit lead from then on out.
Viking misses turned into transition buckets for Iola, with senior Landon Carson the primary beneficiary.
He scored three times late in the half as the Mustang lead swelled to 27-11 at the break.
Central Heights’s only real offensive burst helped the Vikings stay within shouting distance briefly in the third quarter, but only long enough for Carson to find his shooting touch.
He scored 14 of Iola’s 17 points in the third, including back-to-back 3-pointers, as the Mustangs ended the period on a 12-4 run.
