RICHMOND — Tuesday proved to be just what the doctor ordered for Iola High’s boys.
Buoyed by senior Cortland Carson’s school record-tying 38 points, the Mustangs made a critical defensive stop in the game’s final seconds to secure a 67-63 win over Osage City to open the Ike Cearfoss Memorial Tournament.
“This was a great game, all the way around,” Mustang head coach Luke Bycroft said. “They’re a tough team. They do what they do very well.”
The game developed into a dazzling scoring display between Iola’s Carson and Osage City’s Kasen Parsons.
Iola led much of the way, but Osage City was able to stay close, courtesy of Parsons and his slashing drives to the basket.
“We didn’t always guard them well,” Bycroft said. “It’s tough to guard some of that stuff.”
Iola led by as many as nine in the fourth quarter before Osage County rallied yet again.
The Indians put together an 11-4 run, capped by a Parsons bucket inside to make it 65-63 with just under a minute left.
The Mustangs milked about 40 seconds of clock time, moving the ball around the perimeter. Nick Bauer took advantage of an opening in the Osage City defense and put up a shot with about 12 seconds left, but it rimmed out, giving the Indians a chance to tie or take the lead.
Enter Iola reserve senior Kyser Nemecek, who deflected Osage City’s inbound pass coming out of a timeout with 8 seconds showing, giving Iola possession once again.
Osage City focused its defense on denying the ball to any of the team’s guards, opening the door for Iola to complete a long pass to Jordy Kaufman, who put in an open layup as the buzzer sounded.
“We hadn’t been using Kyser much,” Bycroft noted, “but he’s a great defensive player. That tip sealed the game right there.”
WITH ONLY one practice between Friday’s disappointment and Tuesday’s tournament opener, it allowed Bycroft only one opportunity to help get the Mustangs’ mindset back on the right track.
“It wasn’t an exceptionally hard practice, but if the guys made a mistake, they were out. They had to do a little extra work on the side in order to get back in. Every person was held to the same standard.”
The message was received loud and clear.
