Cyclones win opener at Treynor

 TREYNOR (Nov. 30) -- In a game dictated by the defenses, the Harlan Community girls basketball team found some offense at just the right time Monday night to open the season with a 34-25 victory at Treynor.
 Ashley Hall book-ended a crucial 10-1 run with a three-pointer and a baseline drive as the Cyclones turned a 21-19 deficit into a 29-22 lead during a six-and-a-half minute stretch of the third and fourth quarters. Jocelyn Cheek and Brecken Van Baale combined to hit 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to seal the deal.
 Ranked 11th in Class 4A by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union to start the season, HCHS held Treynor to just six points (all on free throws) following Brooklyn Sedlak’s putback midway through the third period.
 The Cyclones had a similar stretch of first-half defense after Cardinal sophomore Clara Teigland opened the scoring with a pair of three-pointers on inbounds plays. Treynor added only one field goal and six points the rest of the half as HCHS racked up a high number of steals in the half court and took a 15-12 lead at intermission.
 Cyclone head coach Zach Klaassen was certainly pleased with his team’s 32 minutes of man-to-man defense, which held Treynor to 15.4 percent shooting (6-of-39) from the field.
 “Our man was fantastic,” he said. “There was only a couple times where we got caught up on a switch and didn’t recover and we gave up a couple three-pointers, but for the most part we did a good job of communicating and picking people up... And I was pretty happy with the rebounding."
 HCHS struggled in the half court against Treynor’s solid 2-3 zone, instead doing its best work in transition off steals or defensive boards.
 The Cyclones did not graduate a single senior off last year’s 13-10 squad and now possess an upperclassmen-heavy roster for the first time in a few years. Senior Macie Leinen, who scored a team-high eight points and pulled down eight rebounds Monday, says that the team chemistry is strong.
 “We all get along really well and we hang out all the time on the weekends and we just bond very well with each other. They’re like my sisters,” Leinen said.
 Treynor (1-1), which opened the season last Tuesday with a 41-12 win over Thomas Jefferson, was led by Teigland’s 11 points, nine rebounds, six steals and three blocked shots.
 The Cyclones’ balanced scoring ledger included eight points for Leinen, seven each for Hall and Van Baale and six for Cheek. Claire Schmitz grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and also led the way with five steals and three blocks.