With such a hot start to the season, the St. Clair girls appear to have the wind taken out of their sails as they have struggled the past few weeks, dropping four out of their last six games and currently on a three-game losing streak. The Cyclones lost backbreakers to Tri-City United on February 9 and Jackson County Central on February 15.
Coach Brian Noyes wanted to test his team with tough matchups against quality opponents this season, and the recent skid against teams like Belle Plaine and Providence Academy has shown his team the importance of consistency. “We have played some high-level teams in the past few weeks, and while we’ve had some good stretches, we’ve also had some not-so-good stretches. You have to play at a more consistent level against good teams, and we’re struggling to do that.”
The Cyclones kept pace with the TCU Titans in the first half as Steph Cink and Brooklin HInze shouldered the offensive load, and the team only found themselves down seven at the half. Cink finished with 29 points, and Hinze scored 17.
The second half highlighted Noyes’ emphasis on consistency as 11 points outscored the Cyclones in the second half. Cink and Hinze were able to keep the team afloat, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a more dominant TCU team as the Cyclones fell 64-82.
Noyes was disappointed after the loss, but he took the opportunity to assure that his team will bounce back as the playoffs approach. “I have no doubt these recent stretches of losses will make us better and more prepared for the playoffs. I think it’s important to be challenged late in the season, and we’re going to continue to improve.”
St. Clair appeared to be on the path of redemption as they entered their matchup against another tough opponent in Jackson County Central on February 16. But foul trouble plagued the Cyclones in the second half, and were unable to slow down the offensive onslaught of JCC’s star player Rylie Cother as they lost 63-74. Noyes made it a pivotal point of the defensive gameplan to contain Cother and to get back to the tough defense the Cyclones exhibited earlier in the season. “We’ve gotten away from being that tough defensive team, and we’re going to focus on Cother tonight if we want to compete.”
The first half was a slow start at the gate for the Cyclones as some early turnovers caused by JCC’s press led to easy baskets, but Cink sank back-to-back threes in transition to get St. Clair on the board. In fact, St. Clair shot extremely well from the perimeter in the first half as Cink, Hinze, and Clara Jeddeloh let it fly in the first half. Hinze scored 23 points, and Jeddeloh had 15.
Defensively, the Cyclones did a great job limiting Cother’s scoring, but her passing and defense wreaked havoc on St. Clair defenders as foul trouble soon began to plague the team. Despite some struggles on both ends of the floor, the Cyclones held a shaky two-point lead going into the second after Cother hit a layup as time expired.
The second half proved to be one of the more frustrating performances for the Cyclones as St. Clair was scoreless for nearly seven minutes of the second half while Cother and JCC began to impose their will. Cother netted a triple-double on the night with 45 points, 11 steals, and 11 rebounds. St. Clair was able to push back after getting on the board, but they could not slow down JCC’s transition attack as both Hansen and Cink fouled out early in the second half. Hansen especially was overcome with emotion after fouling out. The Cyclones were outscored by 13 in the second half.
Three losses in a row as the season winds down might spell doom for many teams, but the Cyclones still hold first place in the Valley Conference with an 11-1 record (15-9 overall). This team has done a great job bouncing back after disappointing performances and looks to finish the season strong as they face off against WEM on February 20 and play their last home game of the regular season against Norwood Young America on February 22. Go Cyclones!
