Basketball Game Preview: Iola Mustangs vs. Santa Fe Trail Chargers

The Iola Mustangs will face off against the Santa Fe Trail Chargers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Iola will head into Friday's game on the come-up: they were handed a heart-breaking three-point loss in their last contest, but they sure didn't let that happen against Marmaton Valley on Friday. Iola blew past Marmaton Valley 67-44. The match marked the Mustangs' most dominant win of the season.

It was another big night for Cortland Carson, who went 13 of 25 on his way to 30 points and seven rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which he has scored at least a third of Iola's points. Another player making a difference was Matt Beckmon, who posted five points and five boards.

Meanwhile, Santa Fe Trail entered their tilt with Council Grove on Tuesday with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. They came out on top against the Braves by a score of 48-39. Given the Chargers' advantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 34th, while the Braves are ranked 92nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Santa Fe Trail pushed their record up to 11-1 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 59.1 points per game. As for Iola, their win bumped their record up to 5-6.

Iola might still be hurting after the 56-31 defeat they got from Santa Fe Trail in their previous matchup back in December of 2024. Can Iola avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.