Cyclones ground Cardinals in their house

Less than 24 hours after a dominant victory over the Denison Monarchs, the HCHS girls basketball team returned to the court on the road against the Clarinda Cardinals and beat them soundly 53-22.

“I thought the girls did a good job getting out right away that first quarter,” said Cyclone Head Coach Zach Klaassen. “We knew it was going to be a big game especially on the road. We’ve had some pretty good teams struggle to win down there in Clarinda. It’s a tough place to play.”

The Cyclones got out to a fast start leading 14-6 at the end of the first quarter, and then taking a 31-13 lead into the locker room at halftime.

“The main thing we talked about was the first three minutes either we’re letting them back in the game or we can put them away,” Klaassen said. “I think we pulled away a little bit more, but not a ton, but a pretty sizable lead at the end of the third quarter.”

On offense, three Cyclones scored in double figures including Aubrey Schwieso with 15 points, Molly Swensen with 13, and Grace Albertsen with 10.

“Aubrey was good from all over,” Klaassen added. “Molly, I think hit her first three 3’s which is always a good sign. Grace was solid on both ends of the floor with a couple of blocks shots there too.”

With this win, the Cyclones move to 5-2 overall on the season, having won five consecutive games, including starting off the second half 2-0.

Tuesday, the Cyclones return to action on the road against their longtime rival, the 4-5 Lewis Central Titans. The Titans are led by Senior Brooke Larsen averaging 18.7 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.

“It’s been a while since we’ve won down there,” Klaassen said. “It’s time to get out there and go play good basketball in their gym. Obviously, there’s going to be a lot of focus on her [Larsen]. She’s an incredible athlete. Division 1 volleyball player. She could probably go play college basketball if she wanted to as well.”