Cyclone girls progress to 13 wins

 HARLAN -- There’s still work to be done, but the 2019-2020 girls basketball season was certainly one of progress for the Harlan Community Cyclones.
 Without a single senior in uniform, HCHS improved its record by eight wins from a year ago, going 13-10 overall, and tied for fourth with a 6-4 mark in the Hawkeye Ten Conference, which boasted four state qualifiers.
 One year after starting 0-8, the Cyclones won their first four games of the season before being sidetracked by a seven-game losing streak that began with three consecutive one-possession defeats. Head coach Zach Klaassen’s squad refused to slide off the rails, however, regrouping in the second half of January and winning nine of their last 12.
 Seven of the Cyclones’ 10 losses came against state tourney qualifiers, including three vs. Class 4A state semifinalist Glenwood and two more vs. 4A runner-up Lewis Central. HCHS also lost to a pair of regional finalists and endured a one-point home loss to Denison.
 The Cyclones’ five starters all averaged between 5.9 and 10 points per game, led by sophomore Claire Schmitz’s 9.6 scoring average. Schmitz and junior Macie Leinen (55 blocks) showed improvement down the stretch in forming a nice one-two punch in the post, combining to average nearly 18 points and 15 rebounds per contest.
 Junior guard Brecken Van Baale (8.7 ppg.) shot 38 percent from the 3-point arc and also led the team with 42 steals. Jocelyn Cheek scored 7.6 ppg. and point guard Ashley Hall (5.9 ppg.) dished out 105 assists - just two shy of the school record.
 As a team, HCHS improved in nearly every statistical category from 2019, including an uptick in scoring from 41.2 ppg. to 50.0, a field goal percentage increase from .306 to .360 and a rebounding average from 24.6 to 32.6. Playing just one more game than last season, the Cyclones also improved by 96 assists, 26 steals and 43 blocked shots.
 HCHS will potentially return its entire roster for 2020-21 but must continue to improve in the shooting and ball handling departments (14.2 turnovers per game) to further climb the Hawkeye Ten ladder and advance deeper into the postseason.