Cyclones stay hot with ninth consecutive win

Despite getting off to a slow start Friday night at home against the Lewis Central Titans trailing 17-5, at the end of the first quarter, the HCHS girls basketball team got going in the second half winning 63-51 for their ninth consecutive victory and 17th of the season.
“I think our posts are playing really well inside and they’re finishing just about everything,” said Cyclone Senior Aubrey Schwieso. “Brinley [Van Baale] and Molly [Swensen] hit some huge shots, so it’s always nice to see those fall. I think we’re getting a good mix of hitting shots everywhere.”
Senior Grace Albertsen made the first shot via a layup, followed by a free throw from Van Baale, but the Titans got going with a 15-0 run to close out the quarter.
“I think the first quarter was a lot to take in,” Schwieso said. “We had quite an atmosphere here. We needed to settle in and the second quarter we did a great job of that.”
Sophomore Titan Ellie Borns opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer, but the Cyclones responded back with a 7-0 run, with a layup from Albertsen, a 3-point shot from Schwieso, and a mid-range jumper from Sophomore Kenzley Bruck. The Cyclones kept their foot on the gas pedal rallying to tie the game at halftime with two 3-pointers from Van Baale to close out the half.
“Her shots are coming,” said Cyclone Head Coach Zach Klaassen of Van Baale. “She has been shooting it pretty well here for the last 3-5 games. We made a little tweak on her release. It seemed like she wasn’t extending all the way out, kind of flaring her elbow, we called it the chicken wing, got that elbow tucked in, and all of a sudden everything is going straight towards the hoop instead of out to the right.”
The third began as a seesaw battle until Schwieso made back-to-back layups forcing a timeout from Titan head coach Coleman Mullenix. Following the timeout, Schwieso banked home another 3-pointer, followed by a mid-ranger from Bruck as the Cyclones led by five heading into the final quarter.
Sophomore Titan Macie Vetter drained a 3-pointer to cut the Cyclones lead to two points to open the quarter, but the Cyclones managed to extend their lead with back-to-back 3’s from Swensen, followed later from free throws from her to close out the game.
Following the game, Mia Schwieso, who passed away two years ago was honored by the school.
“If you were an outsider coming to this game tonight, that’s what Shelby County is,” Klaassen said. “That’s a great family, and everybody’s coming in to support them. If it was another family, this whole family would come back and support them as well. The Schwieso family is very special to this community, very special to me, and we’re so proud of what everybody’s done to help them. There’s no taking away what they’ve gone through. Like what Chris [Schwieso] said Mia would be very proud of what people are doing for her, this family, and this community. It’s a special night.”
The Cyclones return to action Tuesday at Wells Fargo Arena against Hawkeye Ten opponent, the 15-6 Atlantic Trojans, who have won three consecutive games. The Trojans are led by Senior Paytn Harter averaging 17.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, along with Junior Zoey Kirchhoff  averaging 3.6 assists per game.
“We’re excited for that game,” Klaassen added. “Everybody likes to play on that court. It’s a special place to play. I think the last time we played there we left with a bitter taste in our mouths, so hopefully it’s a little bit sweeter this time.”