LA CYGNE — Iola High’s girls were effective with their half-court defense Thursday, and when they were able to get the ball inside, the Mustang post players were effective at getting quality shots.
Problem was, host Prairie View’s lightning quick transition game made Iola pay dearly for every mistake.
And when the Buffalos got hot from 3-point range in the second half, Iola had little answer in a 53-31 setback.
The loss comes in Iola’s final game of the fall semester. An 18-day layoff awaits before play resumes Jan. 2 against Fort Scott.
“We have to keep working,” head coach Kelsey Johnson said. “Good things can happen over the Christmas break. It’ll give us a chance to improve.”
A familiar bugaboo reared its head early on — a slow start for Iola.
Prairie View’s defenders converted turnovers and missed shots into a litany of fast break opportunities. An 11-2 Buffalo run pushed Prairie View ahead 17-6 after one quarter.
Iola settled down nicely from there. Keira Fawson, who missed Iola’s previous game at Burlington after breaking her nose during pregame warmups, came off the bench and scored a pair of baskets, and reserve Alana Mader sliced the lead to 21-15 late in the second quarter.
Iola stayed within six points into the second half, before the Buffalos took control.
“We just had little breakdowns, and they did a good job of knocking down their shots,” Johnson said. “I’m less frustrated tonight than I was (Tuesday) because we had consistent effort the entire game. Our defensive intensity was up. The girls never stopped fighting.
“What I really liked was that everybody came in with the same intensity,” she continued. “It didn’t matter if they played for 2 minutes or 30.”
Mader and Reese Curry shared high-scoring honors with seven points apiece. Kyndal Bycroft followed with six.
Prairie View’s Kally Stroup, who exited the game briefly after falling while connecting on a layup, returned to the lineup in the second quarter none the worse for wear. She wound up leading three players in double figures with 16 points. Ella McCammon followed with 13 points and KJ Gregg scored 12.
Iola prevailed, 35-31, in a hard-fought junior varsity contest. Zoie Hesse and Bethany Miller were exemplary, scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively. Brooklyn Holloway added seven. Dally Curry scored three.
Iola (7-8-8-8—31)