After suffering a crushing 80-36 loss to Sauk Centre to start their season, the Cyclone girls basketball team bounced back in a big way as they held on to defeat the Tri-City United Titans 77-70 on November 26. The matchup against Sauk Centre was certainly a challenge for the Cyclones as they faced off against one of the powerhouses of the sport, but Coach Brian Noyes has high expectations for his team and knew his players would respond after a tough defeat. “We had to get those first-game kinks out and it was a tough night for some of the players…they were disappointed with how we played, but they’re ready to get back out there and clean it up.”
The Cyclones were welcomed by an eager home crowd and a full cheerleading squad ready to root them on as they took to the court against the Titans.
While the Titans did end up with the first points of the game, it didn’t take long for the Cyclones to answer back as Brooklyn Meng pulled up from the top of the key and splashed a three-pointer to give her team a 3-2 lead. It wouldn’t be the last time a player with a similar first name would score from deep as Brooklin Hinze shook off a defender and then nailed a three of her own. From there, it was a barrage from three-point land as Aubree Mathiowetz also drained a shot to push the lead to 12-5. The team continued showing their shooting ability as Hinze drove hard to the basket for a contested layup, Meng dropped a 15-footer from the free-throw line, and Mathiowetz hit a float.
After a timeout by the Titans coach, the game suddenly had ratcheted up the physicality as TCU relied on their size advantage in the post to pick apart St. Clair as they worked the lead down to 22-19; there were some questionable calls and non-calls throughout the first half as battles for the rebound on the block had bodies dropping to the floor with ease. The home crowd grew frustrated at officials when she drove to the basket and was brought down hard with no whistle being blown. Noyes took a timeout to help quiet the crowd and give his team a chance to settle down, too, and while it helped clear some heads, the Cyclones and Titans maintained the aggression on both ends of the court as both teams were in foul trouble with 10+ fouls.
TCU would briefly take back the lead 29-27 after an and-1, but Mathiowetz would drill a three-pointer on the next possession to give her team a 32-30 lead…the Cyclones would never give up the lead again from this point on. As the final seconds ticked down in the first half, one of the team’s younger players, Madison Winkler showed some hustle on the court with a last-ditch effort to save a pass from going out-of-bounds as time expired with the Cyclones holding a slim 40-37 lead.
There was some good and bad from the Cyclones in the first half as it appears their proficiency from three gave them an edge over the Titans, but the lack of size in the post as well as foul trouble were something to keep an eye on entering the second half of the contest.
The second half started hot out the gates as Meng was quick to launch another shot from beyond the arc to extend her team’s lead 43-39; Hinze would get her defender up in the air with a pump fake, which led to an easy elbow jumper. As their lead grew to 49-43, the Cyclones seemed to take control of the game as their attention to detail on the defensive end paid off and helped them balloon their lead to 55-44. The Cyclones now moved to a full-court pressure that proved incredibly lethal against the Titans as Mathiowetz, Jobe, and Valerie Quast terrorized the offense and caused a series of turnovers. Quast especially showed some heart on the court as she poked a ball free from a defender and dived head-first into the fray to force a jump ball in her team’s favor.
However, the Titans kept true to their namesake and held strong in the game’s final minutes as they attempted to get back into the game. Both teams traded baskets for several minutes, but the offensive firepower from the Cyclones was too much to overcome, with Hinze landing the final blows. She would finish the night with 34 points, and she may have scored the team’s last ten or so points with two threes and several trips to the free throw line. Meng finished the game with 22 points, and Mathiowetz scored 13. As the final seconds ticked down, the Cyclones began their celebration and fans gave a huge ovation for the team’s determination in the second half in the 77-70 win.
It was a good bounce-back performance for the Cyclones and Coach Noyes shared his praise for his team’s effort and composure. “We didn’t play perfect basketball tonight, but our energy on the defensive side was really good from buzzer to buzzer…we talk about having a great attitude and playing hard every second on the court, and we made great strides in those areas tonight.”
The final few minutes of the second half were the deciding moments in the game as the Cyclones pulled away from the Titans which Noyes credited his team’s ability to adapt. “Our kids did a great job of adjusting to a few things that TCU was doing offensively in the first half, and we wanted to continue playing our fast-pace style…they were super motivated to make those changes and it’s ultimately what helped us take the win tonight.”
It’s early in the season, but St. Clair looked promising in their victory over the Titans with a handful of players excelling on both ends of the court. They’ll look to get some momentum rolling for them as they face off against GHEC-T-ML on December 3. Go Cyclones!
