Cyclone girls bury Knights under 33-2 barrage, win by 41
HARLAN -- When the Kuemper Catholic girls cut Harlan Community’s lead to 21-18 with just three minutes left in the first half, few could have imagined that the final margin would escalate to a staggering 41 points.
But that’s exactly what happened here Monday night as the 2nd-ranked (Class 4-A) Cyclones dominated the final 19 minutes of a 69-28 rout of the Knights.
HCHS (10-1 overall) scored the final 10 points of the first half, then added 23 straight after Kuemper (3-8) scored the first basket of the second half. The 33-2 run - over a span of about 13 minutes - was part of a 48-10 finish that further demonstrated why the two-time defending 4-A state champion Cyclones will once again be a force to be reckoned with when postseason play begins next month.
The game did not count in the Hawkeye Ten standings, leaving HCHS at 5-0 and Kuemper at 1-4 in league play.
The Cyclones have rattled off 10 straight victories since losing to Dowling, 56-54, in the season opener, and head coach Zach Klaassen likes the way his team has progressed in playing four games in seven days since the holiday break.