Cyclones cruise to 3rd consecutive victory
Cyclone Senior Erica Rust led the way in scoring with 18 points Tuesday night on the road against the Denison Monarchs, helping lead the Cyclones to their 3rd consecutive victory and 11th of the season.
“Having this 3-game win streak is good,” Rust said. “It just gives us more confidence to keeping rolling into the playoffs.”
Cyclone Junior Aubrey Schwieso scored the first bucket of the night on a free throw putting the Cyclones up 1-0; Following that, the Monarchs went on an 8-0 run which included back-to-back 3-point shots from Senior Kiana Schulz making it an 8-1 Monarch lead.
Rust put a stop to the Monarchs run, making the next two buckets, and putting the Cyclones back with two points. Senior Monarch Whitlee Auen responded with a 3-pointer, but after that, the Cyclones went on a 12-0 run to close out the quarter.
Freshman Cyclone Kenzley Bruck continued the Cyclones run into the second quarter with back-to-back shots before Denison stopped their run by getting a bucket Junior Mayah Slater, putting the Monarchs back within single digits.
The Cyclones continued to be aggressive on the offensive end of the floor getting contributions up and down the lineup, including two bench players in Freshman Brinley Van Baale and Junior Grace Albertsen.
“We tell them you never know when it’s going to be your time to get in, so you got to know the situation, and know what your job is when you get in there,” said Cyclone Head Coach Zach Klaassen. “Everybody should want to score, and I think they’re doing a good job of that.”
The Cyclones rolled into halftime with a 19-point lead, with Rust leading the scoring with nine points, and Schwieso with eight.
“Don’t let up,” Rust said. “Keep the pressure on them in transition, keep the ball moving. I think when we pass the ball around and get those looks, we’re a very good team.”
When the third quarter began, the Cyclones continued to dominate starting with a 3-pointer from Junior Hannah Sonderman, followed by another bucket from Rust, and a 3-point shot from Junior Molly Swensen, putting the Cyclones up 26 points.
The Monarchs opened the fourth quarter with shots from Auen and Schulz attempting to chip away at the Cyclones lead, but they kept responding with shots from Rust, Schwieso, and Sonderman cruising to victory.
The Cyclones will be back in action Thursday at 6:30 p.m. taking on the 6-10 Atlantic Trojans. The Trojans are led by Paytn Harder, averaging 16.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, along with Zoey Kirchhoff, averaging 2.5 assists.
“Last year we saw them late in the season and in the playoffs, and so this year I think we’ll see a different team,” Rust said. “We never overlook anybody. They have Paytn Harder. She’s a good post guard and can play anything. She’s a very good rebounder, so definitely boxing her out and trying to lock her down.”