Preview: Iola Mustangs vs. Anderson County Bulldogs
Iola and Anderson County are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2020, but not for long. The Iola Mustangs will be playing at home against the Anderson County Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Iola can finally bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Tuesday. They blew past Prairie View 70-40 at home. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Iola had established a 27 point advantage.
Iola can attribute much of their success to Landon Weide, who scored 12 points along with seven assists and four steals, and Cortland Carson, who scored 17 points along with seven rebounds. Carson has been hot recently, having posted 17 or more points the last six times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Grady Dougherty, who scored six points along with five rebounds and four steals.
Meanwhile, Anderson County can now show off six landslide victories after their most recent contest on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Osawatomie with a sharp 54-33 win. With that win, Anderson County brought their scoring average up to 50.2 points per game.
Anderson County can attribute much of their success to Brayden Wheat, who scored 19 points along with two blocks, and Noah Porter, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and 12 rebounds. It was the first time this season that Wheat posted two or more blocks. Another player making a difference was Preston Kueser, who scored six points.
Iola's win bumped their record up to 9-7. As for Anderson County, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-7.
Friday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Iola have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 43.6% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Anderson County struggles in that department as they've made 39.3% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Iola strolled past Anderson County when the teams last played back in January by a score of 63-44. Does Iola have another victory up their sleeve, or will Anderson County turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
