GIRARD — For any team, knocking off the fourth-ranked team in the state on the road is a big deal, but when the Iola Mustangs handed Girard a 60-53 loss to kickoff off the season on Friday, preseason rankings were the furthest thing from their minds.
“I had no idea where they were ranked and that they were the No. 4 team in the state,” Iola junior forward Ethan Holloway said.
What was on the Mustangs’ minds and in the pit of their stomachs was what Girard denied them just a few short weeks ago when the Trojans came to Iola and ripped away the football team’s chance at a district title with a late touchdown.
“It was big time,” Holloway said. “We had that on our minds the whole time.”
Isaiah Fawson wasn’t on the football team this season, but the Mustang cross country standout was in the front row for that painful loss and the senior guard wanted redemption for teammates and demonstrated it early with a three pointer to open the scoring.
“We have always lost to them,” Fawson said. “Last year, we got beat by like 30 points, so it just feels great to beat them. It was a solid win on their home court… It gives me so much hope for the rest of the season.
“It is always good to get some revenge on the basketball court. We came at them and showed them who was boss.”
From the moment Fawson’s initial triple fell through the net, until junior Isaac Vink sealed the game with a steal and a fast-break layup with 14 seconds left to provide the final margin of victory, Iola simply controlled every aspect of the game.
“I felt really relaxed and the whole team was playing really well together,” Fawson said.
Fawson built on his early success behind the arc and was able to find the bottom of the net consistently throughout the night on the way to leading the Mustangs with 22 points.
“If Isaiah gets in a zone, he hardly misses a shot,” Iola coach Jay Applegate said. “He has the green light to do things.”
Holloway scored 13 points, but his main contributions were on the defensive end where he repeatedly guarded the paint and was able to rack up blocked shots while intimidating any Trojan who dared drive into his lane.
“He is our protector back there,” Applegate said.
It wasn’t just the stars that carried the team to their outstanding victory, the bench and role players came up huge for Iola.
Forwards Zach Cokely and Chase Regehr were huge off of the bench when starters Hooloway and Evan Sigg needed a rest.
