Cyclones dismantle Rams by 50 points
In the first quarter of Tuesday’s home game with the HCHS girls basketball team leading by just five points, the Cyclones closed out the first quarter on a 14-0 run which carried into the second quarter, easily cruising to a 82-32 victory over the Glenwood Rams, moving to 3-2 on the season.
“The feeling is a little different this year,” said Cyclone Senior Aubrey Schwieso. “Last year, we started off undefeated up until Christmas break, so it’s a little different feeling to start off 0-2, but I think that makes us even more motivated.”
The first basket of the game came from 3-point range from Senior Cyclone Molly Swensen, followed by a shot at the basket from Sophomore Kenzley Bruck, giving the Cyclones an early 5-0 lead.
A timeout was called by Rams head coach Brian Rasmussen, but following his timeout, Sophomore Cyclone Brinley Van Baale launched a shot from 3-point range, followed by a shot at the basket from Senior Grace Albertsen, and then a 3-pointer from Schwieso, giving the Cyclones a 13-5 lead.
Sophomore Ram Maggie McChesney came down court to make a 3-point shot, cutting the Cyclones lead to five, but the Cyclones offense found a rhythm in which they went on a 14-0 run to end the first quarter, that continued into the second quarter with the first two buckets from Albertsen to make it a 16-0 run. The run came to an end when Junior Ram Haylee Hughes was followed on a made shot, but couldn’t sink the extra point.
“It was multiple people scoring,” said Cyclone Head Coach Zach Klaassen. “It wasn’t the same person. The ball was moving and whether we scored on turnovers or just in the half court, it was fun to watch. When you have a team that shares the ball like they were sharing it tonight, it’s fun and it’s hard for teams to prep for us.”
The Cyclones went on a 5-1 run to close out the half, with the final two shots coming from Bruck at the basket and Schwieso with another 3-pointer, giving her team a 44-13 point lead.
“We just had to keep our foot on the pedal,” Schwieso said. “We’re not letting up at halftime. We’re not letting up until we sit on that bench and then our other girls can come in and finish it up for us, and I think they did a good job at the end.”
Rams Junior Maggie Smith scored the first basket of the third quarter via a free throw, but once again, the Cyclones offense took command of the quarter starting with Schwieso getting fouled on a made shot and connecting at the free throw line for the extra point, along with Bruck and Albertsen both making shots at the basket, including the final bucket of the quarter from Albertsen with the Cyclones leading 64-21 heading into the final quarter.
Bruck opened the fourth quarter with a shot at the basket, followed by a 3-pointer from Junior Lauren Schmitz, and then a bucket from Van Baale. Hughes got the first Rams bucket with a 3-pointer, but following that, Bruck and Van Baale both came up with back-to-back shots, putting the Cyclones up 80-24, leading them to victory.
“It feels good,” Klaassen said. “We came in with a little bit of confidence, but we weren’t over confident. We talked about getting out of the gates. It wasn’t super fast offensively. It took us a little while to get going in that first quarter, but once it started going it was flowing pretty well.”
The Cyclones will be back in action Friday against the 0-5 Red Oak Tigers. The Tigers are led by Junior Ellison Johnson averaging 9.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, along with Sophomore Keely Jones averaging 1.8 assists per game.
“You’ve got to be focused,” Klaassen added. “We went into Shenandoah 0-2. Records don’t really matter that much. You’ve got to come out and be ready to go just like every other night. If you jump on them, that’s great, but if you don’t then we’re going to be in trouble.”
It will also be Senior Night as before the game, Schwieso, Albertsen, and Swensen will be honored.
“I’ve played basketball with them for a really long time,” Schwieso said. “I’m looking forward to playing on Senior Night. Hopefully the emotions won’t be too high, but I’m just excited. It’s been so much fun playing with them.”
