Cyclone girls break out the ‘O’ against Creston

 HARLAN (Dec. 12) -- The Harlan Community girls basketball team took a big step in the right direction here Tuesday night, racing to a 34-5 halftime lead and finishing off Creston 58-37 for a Hawkeye Ten Conference victory.
 Four days after shooting just 23 percent in a 44-29 loss to Denison-Schleswig, the 14th-ranked (4A) Cyclones supplemented better half court offense with smothering man-to-man defense and transition baskets in a dominant first-half performance.
 Creston, which posted 72 points in routing a decent Shenandoah team last week, scored on its first trip down the floor but mustered just three points the rest of the half. The Panthers knocked down a lot more shots after halftime but still trailed 47-17 before chipping away at the Cyclone lead during the fourth quarter.
 HCHS improved to 2-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play while Creston slipped to 3-3 and 0-2, respectively.
 “We kind of needed (a win), especially after our last output on offense,” said HCHS coach Zach Klaassen. “I thought our defense was very good (Friday) night; really it’s been pretty good the whole year but our offense has really struggled. So to get some points on the board tonight, especially that first half, was important to us just for the girls to gain confidence and some of the young kids to see the ball go through the hole.”

HCHS Scoring Leaders: Nicole Lange 13 (10 rebounds), Lexi Larsen 12 (7 rebounds), Macie Leinen 11, Chloe Hansen 7 (5 steals).

Creston Scoring Leaders: Brielle Baker 18, Kelsey Fields 8.