MORAN — Iola High’s Mustangs kicked off tournament week with a bang Tuesday.
A 52-4 run starting midway through the first quarter showed just how potent the Mustangs can be when they ramp up their defensive intensity.
The 71-23 victory over St. Paul also illustrated head coach Luke Bycroft’s main edict as head coach.
“Tonight’s game is not so much what we do on the court but how we do it,” Bycroft said. “Our effort was good, and we played with energy.”
The only pall cast over the evening’s events came when starting forward Bradyn Cole collided with a St. Paul player while fighting for a rebound and injured his knee.
Bycroft said the injury may not be as serious as first feared after Cole was helped from the gymnasium, and unable to put any weight on his leg.
He later returned to the Mustang bench in the waning minutes of game, with a noticeable limp, but did not return to play.
“Bradyn is going to get it checked out (today) at the doctor,” Bycroft said.
That aside, the theme for Tuesday’s blowout was in making every possession matter, Bycroft said.
Even with things well in hand, the Mustangs were making things difficult for St. Paul to do much of anything.
“You can look at it and say you back off with a big lead, but you don’t ever want to coach that,” he said. “You want the kids to play hard, and compete to win that possession no matter the score.
Typically a coach says that when his team is down 20.”
But it’s also true when you’re up 30, he concluded.
A quick glance at the stat sheet illustrated Iola’s dominance.
Iola, for example, keeps track of typically overlooked statistics, such as deflected passes.
On a good night, a player might collect three or four.
