Mount Ayr quiets ‘a tough place to play’

LENOX – In a Pride of Iowa matchup, Mount Ayr (3-0) dominated Lenox (0-3) in an 84-54 victory Tuesday night.

Mount Ayr head coach Bret Ruggles had a gameplan coming into the game that started in the first few minutes.

“I thought we started well, which was huge for us,” said Ruggles. “We talked about that coming up here. It was in my scouting report, I flat out said we wanted to start early, and I thought all five starters scoring was a huge piece.”

Scoring early was no problem for the Raiders. Ruggles’ group started the game on an 11-0 run before Lenox scored its first point on a free throw from Colton Vieux.

“This is a tough place to play, especially if it gets loud,” said Ruggles. “… I’ve been in this place when it gets really loud, and it can be a tough place to play.”

With the crowd quiet early, the Tigers first year head coach Curtis Fisher said the start put Lenox in a tough spot, but he was proud of his guys to stay in the game and fight back.

With the Tigers battling, they were able to put 11 points on the board with a 26-11 score at the end of the first quarter. The fight continued as Lenox went on an 11-2 run of their own to cut the lead to seven points.

After a Mount Ayr timeout, it was all Raiders. Cole Clymer and Dawson Frost led the charge, scoring 11 straight points – Clymer (4) and Frost (7). With contributions starting to pile in from multiple Raiders, Mount Ayr ended the first half on 17-1 run to put the lead at 43-24.

With a 19 point deficit, Lenox struggled to stop Mount Ayr’s offensive attack. The Raiders were able to move the ball around the key to find an open man down low or pass the ball to the outside to shoot the three.

Things started to snowball on the Tigers after back-to-back 3-pointers from Payton Weehler and a three-point-play from Dalton Elwood. Jaixen Frost slouch contributed to the Raiders offense and was a strong part of the scoring in the second half.

“We got up great tonight from Jaixen Frost,” said Ruggles. “Our freshman had 17 tonight. That’s a fantastic night. He is so good at that little move he’s got in the lane. He just doesn’t miss it, and he’s really good about getting to that spot. He hit his threes tonight, and I thought he was extremely good. He’s going to be a great weapon for us.”

Despite the strong offensive performance, Lenox was able to knock down shots of its own, outscoring Mount Ayr 13-11.

Fisher said Mount Ayr is a “very good team” and was proud of his guys for fighting all the way through, getting inexperienced players some time late in the fourth quarter.

Even though things were winding down, Vieux continued to knock down shots and lead the Lenox team. Vieux finished with 20 points, with 13 points coming in the second half.

Fisher said Vieux is some who has “matured a lot” and is a leader for the Tiger team, but it’s about getting the youth and experience to play together as a group.

“This is my first season here, and I’ve got kind of a mix of youth and experience,” said Fisher. “So, it’s gelling these guys to play together.”

UP NEXT – Lenox travels to Central Decatur Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. start time. Mount Ayr plays Southeast Warren in a home game Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Mount Ayr (84) — 26 17 24 17

Lenox (54) — 11 13 12 18

Mount Ayr (FG FT PTS) — Totals —24 9-13 84. Dawson Frost 7 4-6 20, Jaixen Frost 7 0-0 17, Payton Wheeler 5 1-1 14, Isaac Grose 4 3-4 1,Cole Clymer 4 0-0 9, Dalton Elwood2 1-1 5, Cayden Lamber 1 0-0 2, Kolben Klommhaus 1 0-0 2, Zach Doster 1 0-0 2, Austin Greenland 1 0-0 2. 3-point goals (9) — Jaixen Frost (3), Weehler (3), Dawson Frost (2)Clymer (1). Team fouls — 19. Fouled out — None.

Lenox (FG FT PTS) — Totals — 9 12-24 54. Colton Vieux 5 7-8 20, Cullen Wood 6 1-2 16, Samson Adams3 0-0 7, JC Arevalo 1 2-2 5,Rex Hoffman 1 2-2 4, Coleman Dukes 1 0-0 2. 3-point goals (8) — Vieux 93), Wood (3)m Adams (1), Arevalo (1). Team fouls — 15. Fouled out — None.