Cyclones prepare to build off state tournament run
After a season in which the HCHS Cyclones girls basketball team achieved their goal of making it to the state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena, they are back in action in practice with their first game only weeks away.
“I’m super excited to get this season started,” said Sophomore Avery Manz. “The team has really good chemistry. We get along very well. Practices have been hard, but have been good.”
Last season, the Cyclones finished 20-4 overall with two losses to Lewis Central, St. Albert, and Mount Vernon. During their 2023 season, the Cyclones were led by Erica Rust with 327 points, averaging 13.6 per game, 218 rebounds, averaging 9.1 per game, and Aubrey Schwieso with 102 assists, averaging 4.4 per game.
Rust, Hannah Sonderman, Ava Monson, and Kara Kenkel have all graduated. Three were in the starting lineup, which means Klaassen will have some other players with a chance to earn a spot in the starting rotation.
“I think we’ll see the three seniors out there for sure,” “Kenzley Bruck has a good shot at getting in there, and then it’s probably going to come down to Addi [Wicks], Brinley [Van Baale], Lauren [Schmitz], and Kate [Koesters] kind of fighting for that other spot. It’s going to a battle from here until day one, and hopefully it’s a battle the whole way through the season because it’ll make everybody better.”
Cyclones win last season came against Glenwood, Atlantic, Underwood, Creston, Winterset, Shenandoah, Treynor, Denison, and others, including starting the season off with an 8-game winning streak. They will open this season on the road against Treynor.
“I feel like the mentality is getting in the mindset of knowing we can beat them right off the bat,” said Sophomore Aubree Wegner. “I know it’ll be our first game, but we’ll see how it goes and set the team’s tone for the season.
The Cyclones will face a lot of the same opponents this season they faced last year, but plan to be ready to go, whoever their opponent is.
“We see everybody’s best shot, it feels like, when you wear Harlan across your chest,” Klaassen said. “Usually it doesn’t matter what sport that is or what’s going on. When somebody comes into town or you go into their town, they want to beat you. Focus is going to be the main thing. Next play will be a big thing. Just do what we do well.”
The Cyclones ended their previous season at Wells Fargo Arena Feb. 26 against Mount Vernon, after earning three regional victories over OABCIG, Clarinda, and Cherokee Washington. Klaassen knows what a challenge it’ll be to return to the state tournament in back-to-back seasons.
“That’s our goal every year is to end our season in Des Moines,” he said. “We know what it takes to get there. It’s a matter of doing it and it doesn’t just mean doing it on game nights, but doing it every day in practice. You’ve got to fight through the hard ones.”