Big Cyclone lead withstands late Trojan rally

 ATLANTIC -- The merit of a strong start cannot be overstated when evaluating the Harlan Community boys basketball team’s last two games.
 In its only loss of the season just before Christmas break, HCHS spent nearly the entire night battling from behind in an eventual seven-point home loss to unbeaten Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln.
 Flash forward two weeks and the Cyclones basically led the whole way Tuesday night in an impressive seven-point road win at unbeaten Atlantic.
 Trailing just once at 2-0, HCHS responded with an early 20-6 surge, led by 20 in the third quarter and held off a frantic fourth-quarter rally to beat the Trojans, 57-50, in a Hawkeye Ten matchup of state-ranked 3-A rivals.
 The Cyclones improved to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in conference games - tied with Glenwood and Kuemper for first place - while Atlantic fell to 8-1 and 3-1, respectively.