HCHS survives test from Panther boys

 HARLAN (Dec. 12) -- All signs pointed toward a possible blowout Tuesday night when Creston visited Harlan Community for a non-conference boys basketball game.
 The Panthers, playing without standout guard Kylan Smallwood and 6-foot-8 center Tucker Flynn so far this season, sported a 1-3 record with a three-point win over Shenandoah and lopsided defeats against Glenwood (71-32), Bondurant-Farrar (73-39) and Atlantic (65-39).
 The Cyclones, ranked 7th in the first Associated Press Class 3A poll of the season, entered the contest at 3-0, which included a 47-point win against the aforementioned Mustangs (Shenandoah).
 But while the numbers all suggested HCHS would dominate, somebody forgot to tell Creston to roll over.
 Sparked by an early scoring outburst from senior point guard Evan Jacobson, the Panthers also forced several early Cyclone turnovers and basically brought more energy to the table, leading for much of the first two and a half quarters.
 The Cyclones’ talent and depth eventually won out during a 28-11 second-half surge and they were able to finish off the Panthers 57-45 to stay unbeaten. HCHS coach Mitch Osborn viewed the evening as a learning experience for his squad.
 “I think our guys just took for granted this was going to be an easy win. They saw the scores, read the papers,” he said. “Our guys weren’t mentally prepared... (Creston has) been getting beat up by some good teams and they don’t have Smallwood and Tucker Flynn playing right now, but their other guys stepped up.
 “We were on our home floor, thank goodness. If we’d have been on the road, this might have been one they could have stole from us tonight.”

HCHS Scoring Leaders: Shane Chamberlain 20, Deren Schmitz 18, Brett Sears 10.

Creston Scoring Leaders: Evan Jacobson 21, Cael Kralik 11, Cole Higgins 7.