Cyclones cruise to fifth consecutive victory
In their first game back from the holiday break, the HCHS Cyclones girls basketball team dominating Thursday’s road match with a 19-0 run with 12 of those points coming from Senior Grace Albertsen, cruising to their fifth consecutive victory overall over the Denison Monarchs 62-23.
“The big thing over break we were talking about is just to keep that win streak alive,” Albertsen said. “We want to win as many as we can in a row to keep us in a good place, and I think we’ve put in a lot of work over Christmas break to get us where we could beat a team like this. It’s going to help our confidence moving forward.”
The Cyclones opened with the ball and Senior Molly Swensen went up for a shot from 3-point range and missed it, but Sophomore Brinley Van Baale was there to grab the rebound, got fouled, and made both free throws for the Cyclones first points of the game.
Following Van Baale’s free throws, the Cyclones scored the next 17 points, with 12 coming from Albertsen before the Monarchs first basket came from Freshman Mariah Carlson. Senior Aubrey Schwieso and Swensen closed out the quarter with back-to-back 3-point shots putting the Cyclones up 25-2.
The Cyclones offense continued to put up shots in the second quarter, including getting 3-point shots from reserves in Juniors Kate Koesters and Lauren Schmitz.
“We’ve talked about being focused and get some work done when you get in there,” said Cyclone Head Coach Zach Klaassen of his bench. “You don’t just want to go out there and fill up the time. You want to make sure you’re getting buckets, making good plays, and then transitioning into the varsity lineup next year. It’s good to see them too.”
The final shot of the first half came from Senior Monarch Lola Mendlik from 3-point range, but the Cyclones still led 44-7.
“Don’t let up, don’t let them back in it, keep pushing, and just have fun,” Albertsen said.
The third quarter was dominated by the Cyclones as the Monarchs didn’t score. The Cyclones got points from Sophomore Kenzley Bruck, Schwieso, Albertsen, and Van Baale leading 53-7 heading into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter began with a 3-point shot from Senior Monarch Norah Huebert, but Schwieso responded back with a mid-range shot. A few plays later, Huebert added another 3-pointer, but the Cyclone offense answered once again with a shot at the basket from Bruck.
“I think the kids came in focused and understand that January is going to be a big month for us with 12 games and some tough ones coming out of the chute especially,” Klaassen said. “We’ve got to be focused. I thought practices we’ve been focused and we’ve put good work in, and it paid off tonight.”
The Cyclones won’t rest for long as they return to action Friday night on the road against the 5-3 Clarinda Cardinals, who have won two of their previous three games. The Cardinals are led by Junior Maddie Cole averaging 11.4 points per game, Junior Carsen Wellhausen averaging 8.8 rebounds per game, and Senior Jerzee Knight averaging 3.6 assists per game.
“We need to lock in,” Albertsen said. “I don’t think it’ll be as big of a point difference. They’re a good team, but I think we’ll be okay.”
