Cyclones dodge a bullet, outlast Trojans in OT

 GLENWOOD (Feb. 24) -- Beating a rival three times in three weeks isn’t supposed to be easy. Harlan Community experienced that first hand and lived to tell about it in Monday’s opening round of the Class 3A playoffs.
 Trailing by eight points at halftime, HCHS outscored Atlantic 19-5 in the third quarter, then let a pair of six-point leads slip away in the fourth before finally outlasting the Trojans in overtime, 62-59, in a Substate 8 boys basketball quarterfinal at Glenwood.
 The Cyclones were facing Atlantic for the third straight Monday night but had won the previous two matchups 71-41 and 57-40.
 The 2020 trilogy nearly ended in disaster as the 8-14 Trojans simply outplayed HCHS in the first half and refused to surrender down the stretch. Junior Skyler Handlos drilled 6-of-10 three-pointers and played the lead role in Atlantic’s upset bid with 28 points before fouling out with 2:36 left in OT.
 The Trojans entered the night shooting 29 percent as a team from three-point land but made 11-of-23, including six in the fourth period and overtime.
 Harlan’s three senior starters came up big in the extra session. Connor Bruck scored on a pair of tough drives, Michael Heithoff made four clutch free throws and Johnathan Monson stole a Trojan inbounds pass with :03.3 left and dribbled out the clock.
 The Cyclones (16-6) advanced to play at Glenwood (17-5) in a 7:00 p.m. substate semifinal on Thursday (Feb. 27).
 “Atlantic is a heck of a team. They battled us very well," Bruck said. "They shot very well and it was a terrific win.”
 HCHS head coach Mitch Osborn was proud of his team for keeping their poise in overtime after Trojan sophomore Dayton Templeton’s well-contested three tied the score at 54 with :08.3 left in regulation. The Cyclones called timeout but were unable to get a shot off before time expired.
 The lead changed hands four times in OT, capped by Bruck’s fade-away floater from the left side of the lane that put Harlan up 60-59. After Templeton had a three go in and out, Heithoff’s two free throws with :16.2 left made it a three-point game.
 Templeton finished with 14 points and eight rebounds for Atlantic while senior Nile Petersen had nine points and eight boards.
 Bruck converted several nice drives for HCHS and scored 18 of his team-high 23 in the second half and overtime, shooting 8-of-11 from the field. Heithoff (7-of-8 free throws) scored 14 points and Monson added 10.