Iola High School Mustangs (5-11, 1-7) sought to put an end to the Chanute Comets’ 12-game winning streak, but late turnovers shifted the tides in a 54-44 loss Friday night.
Although dismayed with the loss, Iola coach Luke Bycroft said they did not play like a team on a five-game losing streak as they traded bucket for bucket with the Comets until costly mistakes added up in the fourth quarter.
“Coaching is fun when your boys compete,” Bycroft said. “When they have the desire to win every possession, where the only thing that matters is giving everything I have to this one possession. The game is so much fun to coach when you get them in the right mindset.”
With the teams tied 12-12 at the end of the first quarter, Friday’s game seemed like a rivalry renewed. Guard Cortland Carson exploded in the first half. He scored the majority of his team-leading 18 points on a drive and a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter.
Carson’s effort put him in the IHS basketball history books by breaking the school scoring record. Carson stands at 959. The school record was 947.
As the Comets clamped down on Carson, forwards Kyser Nemecek, Lucas Maier, Cole Dougherty and Jordy Kauffman stepped up with buckets at close range. A single score separated the teams as they headed into halftime with Chanute ahead 24-22.
Despite holding their own offensively, the Mustangs could not find a way to stop Chanute standout guard Warrick Olson, who scored a team-leading 23 points. Olson sank a trio of 3-pointers to seal the victory -— extending Chanute’s winning streak to 12 games and Iola’s losing streak to five games.
“We had a tight game late, then a couple of bone-headed turnovers,” Bycroft said. “It got some guys rattled. Some of that is not being in the pressure of those moments. We had a couple of bad passes.”
Although taking the loss, Bycroft believes the momentum generated will build into Monday’s practice and Tuesday’s game against Pioneer League rival Prairie View (2-12, 0-8). The Mustangs’ only Pioneer League victory this season came at the expense of the Buffalos, who fell to Iola 65-44 just before the Christmas break.
“This is huge. They’re going to be upset about the loss,” Bycroft said. “I want them to be upset about losing. Don’t be OK with losing, but you have to know that you are proud of the way you played in a loss. They can be proud.”
Iola (12-10-13-9—44)
FG/3pt FT F TP
Crooks 0 0 2 2
Dougherty 2 0 0 2
Beckmon 1/1 1 3 6
Carson 2/3 5 0 18
Kauffman 3 0 2 6
Maier 1 0 2 2
Nemecek 1 0 0 2
Chanute (12-12-13-17—54)
Chaney 1 0 3 2
Olson 1/7 0 1 23
Chatman 1 0 0 2
Duncan 1 0 3 2
Patterson 1 0 0 2
Harding 1/1 0 0 5
Stanley 1 0 0 2
