Strong finish lifts Cyclones past Clarinda boys

 CLARINDA -- It wasn’t pretty from an offensive standpoint, according to head coach Mitch Osborn, but the Harlan Community boys were able to pull away late and win their fifth in a row Friday night with a 56-45 victory at Clarinda.
 HCHS led 25-22 at the half and just 36-35 after three quarters before outscoring the Cardinals 20-10 in the fourth. Much of that margin was accumulated at the free throw line in the final two minutes as the Cyclones finished on an 11-3 run, improving to 7-4 overall and 5-2 inside the Hawkeye Ten Conference (fourth place). Clarinda dropped to 5-7 overall and 2-4 in league play.
 HCHS made 21-of-26 free throws on the night while the Cardinals finished 5-of-9 at the charity stripe. The Cyclones also outrebounded the hosts 35-25, including 14 offensive boards.
 Brett Sears led HCHS with 17 points and three assists and also grabbed eight rebounds. Connor Bruck had 10 points and five boards while Johnathan Monson had six points and a team-high 10 rebounds (five offensive).
Glenwood game postponed
 Saturday’s Glenwood at HCHS game was postponed due to inclement weather and has been rescheduled for Saturday, January 19 (boys only in Harlan). The freshman will play first at 1:30 p.m., followed by a JV game at 3:00 and the varsity contest at 4:30.