Cyclones get eliminated by Lions on road
The HCHS girls varsity basketball team’s playoff journey has come to an end with a devastating road loss to the Des Moines Christian Lions in the Class 3A Regional Tourament finals game.
“We were so proud of them,” said Cyclones Head Coach Zach Klaassen. “We started 0-2 on the season and to be one game away from the state tournament is pretty special. Not a lot of teams get to experience that.”
Junior Lion Tori Burton opened the scoring on the night by hitting a shot from 3-point range that immediately got the crowd into the game. Senior Ella Plagman got the Cyclones on the board with their first bucket of the night, cutting the lead to 3-2.
The Lions took control after that going on an 8-2 run that forced Klaassen to use his first timeout of the night. The Lions continued to dominate going on another 8-0 run. Their run finally came to an end when Senior Ava Miller was fouled and made both her free throws, putting her team down by 13.
The second quarter opened with the Lions once again taking command over the Cyclones outscoring them. Junior Lion Paige Hilgerson made a 3-pointer, but Plagman matched it with a 3-pointer of her own trying to keep within striking distance.
The Lions finished the half on a 6-2 run and took a 35-15 point lead into the locker room. Plagman was the Cyclones leading scorer at the half with 5 points.
“We just talked about how we just had to chip away,” Klaassen said. “There’s no 20-point shots and outside of a couple of shots late from behind the arc, we couldn’t find it and they found it for sure.”
Junior Lion Abby Hall was fouled early into the third quarter, making both of her free throws and continuing to expand the Lions lead.
The Lions closed out the third quarter on a 7-2 run, putting the Cyclones down by 29 entering the final quarter. Sophomore Aubrey Schwieso was fouled to open the quarter and made both free throws. Schwieso managed to knock down three 3-pointers towards the end of the game, but in the end, the Lions cruised to a 64-38 victory, ending the Cyclones season.
“He [Klaassen] was just telling us how proud he is of us for having the season that we did,” Miller said. “We started off 0-2 and we were able to build a winning record from that.”
Seniors Miller, Plagman, Savannah Christensen and Lauren McLaughlin took the time to share what Cyclone basketball means to them.
“I put my heart and soul every time I go out on that court and I try to be there for my teammates,” Christensen said. “It’s been a surreal experience the last four years.”
Coming into the game, Plagman had 109 points, 39 rebounds, 34 assists and 24 steals that helped her team to 14 victories on the season, including a first round tournament victory over the Red Oak Tigers and a second round victory over the Atlantic Trojans.
“I was just trying to play my heart out,” Plagman said. “You never know what game is going to be your last.”
McLaughlin did not play the entire season due to being injured, but Klaassen put her into the game with a few minutes remaining, giving her one final moment on the court in a Cyclone uniform.
“It was just nice to be out there with the girls the last game, even though I hadn’t been able to be there,” McLaughlin said. “It was just good to be there.”