Cyclones ground Eagles at home
In the first quarter of Saturday's home game, the Cyclones jumped out to a 10-0 run against the Underwood Eagles, en route to a dominant 52-33 victory, earning their 10th victory.
"We knew they were solid down low," said Cyclone Junior Aubrey Schwieso. "We haven't played many games, but we came out really strong against Blair, so we gained some confidence there."
Senior Hannah Sonderman made the first two shots of the game, followed by buckets from Molly Swensen and Schwieso giving the Cyclones a 10-0 start. Soon after, Senior Erica Rust scored her first points of the game, giving the Cyclones a 15-6 lead heading into the second quarter.
Senior Eagle Alizabeth Jacobsen helped the Eagles claw their way back into the game in the second quarter making two shots for them, followed by a bucket from Schwieso, forcing a timeout from Cyclone head coach Zach Klaassen.
When play resumed, Schwieso scored again, followed by free throws from Sonderman, giving the Cyclones an 8-point lead at halftime.
"We said the tempo has got to pick up," Klaassen said. "If we are going to play slow, it's going to be a dogfight, and once they start gaining confidence, we're going to be in for a fight. I think we created some turnovers early, got some run out layups, and we hit another 3-pointer in the third quarter there."
Sonderman opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer, but the Eagles responded back with a bucket from Freshman Ainsley Roberts and Jacobsen, putting them back within single digits.
Sonderman scored again, and was later fouled on a made shot, where she sunk the extra point, giving the Cyclones a 10-point lead. Senior Ava Monson scored the next bucket, followed by back-to-back shots from Schwieso putting the Cyclones up 17, forcing a timeout from Eagles head coach Andy Vanfossan.
When play resumed, Schwieso scored again, followed by free throws from Junior Grace Albertsen, and a bucket from Freshman Kenzley Bruck as the Cyclones took a 22-point lead into the final quarter.
The Eagles opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run, cutting the Cyclones lead to 15 points, but the Cyclones closed them out, earning their second consecutive win.
"I thought we came out guns and blazing," Klaassen said. "Hannah knocked down a couple of really good 3's right away. We needed that, but we need to make sure we don't go into that second quarter rut. We've got to keep that pace moving."
The Cyclones will be on the road Tuesday at 6 p.m. taking on the 7-5 Denison Monarchs. The Monarchs are led by Kiana Schulz averaging 13.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, along with Whitlee Auen averaging 1.8 assists per game.
"We played a pretty good game against them here," Schwieso said of Denison. "We know they've gotten better. We're pretty confident and excited."