Cyclones earn first win of the season

After losing their first two games, the HCHS Cyclones girls basketball team was able to squeeze out a win in close fashion, 66-62 to Shenandoah Friday night on the road.

“It was one of those games where it wasn’t a blowout and you had to manage the game,” said Cyclone Head Coach Zach Klaassen. “We were down here and there. Nobody panicked. Everybody stayed calm and just played basketball. It was a fun night for us.”

The Cyclones were locked in a close battle after one quarter leading by just two points, 20-18. In the second quarter, they outscored Shenandoah by seven points, leading 42-33 at halftime.

“We just needed to continue to do what we did well in the first half,” Klaassen said. “Focus on taking care of the ball. Defensively, we had some things we wanted to fix.”

Klaassen credited some of his upperclassmen for setting the tone and paving the way to a Cyclone victory.

“I definitely think the guards played much better,” he said. “I don’t know what the final stat was on turnovers, but it can’t even be close to what it has been the first two games. That was our major concern going into it.”

The Cyclones got off to a slow start in the third quarter, getting outscored 18-8, but bounced back in the fourth quarter and were able to close out the game beating Shenandoah by four points.

They return home Tuesday night for their first home game against Kuemper Catholic. The Knights are led by Elsa Tiefenthaler averaging 18 points and 4.2 assists per game, along with Addy Anthofer averaging 4.8 rebounds per game.

“Traveling is not fun, especially three in a row to start off your season,” Klaassen said. “It should be a lot louder at home. They [Knights] are going to want to push tempo and get up and down. They have a great point guard. We’re going to have to try and keep her in check.”