The past two matchups for the St. Clair Cyclones pitted them against schools with a jungle cat for a mascot. The GHEC Jaguars and NRHEG Panthers did their best to scratch and claw their way to victory, but the Cyclones were able to fend them off to start their season 3-0.
It’s been a remarkable start of the season for a young Cyclones team, although its senior leadership made a huge impact in the December 10 game against the GHEC Jaguars. St. Clair had won their season opener on the road and the team felt confident during its warmups; Coach Seth Altenhofen was ecstatic about starting the year with a win, but like any coach, he knew there would be ways to improve. “It wasn’t a clean game from us, but a lot of our guys were getting their first Varsity minutes…getting a win to start the year is a great feeling, and now it’s our job to protect our home court tonight.”
The opening possessions for the Cyclones were inauspicious at best as a physically imposing GHEC team disrupted offensive sets, forced turnovers, and sprinted ahead to a 6-0 lead. St. Clair was able to refocus after Hunter Winkler showed some athleticism with a slick reverse layup to gain his team’s first two points. Winkler’s score gave Austin Ward some extra motivation on the next possession as he poked the ball out of a Jaguar player, and finished strong on the drive to bring the game within a basket.
However, GHEC took advantage of their aggression in the post as their backcourt secured several offensive rebounds and they led throughout much of the first half. Down 17-12, the Cyclones would continue to struggle running their offensive sets, but their tenacity on the defensive end kept their opponents at bay. Seniors Carter Bilitz and Kade Emery gave their team some life, but the Jaguars maintained their aggressive approach on the block, and the Cyclones faced foul trouble with roughly eight minutes left in the half.
The turning point of the first half and, ultimately, the game all started with another Winkler assist to Bilitz, and the latter would then go on a scoring frenzy as he broke up a pass and, on the break would set himself up to knock down a three to push the game to 19-17. Bilitz delivered a gut punch with a pull-up three at the top of the key and gave his team their first lead of the game at 22-21. As the Jaguars attempted to reclaim the lead, Sam Freitag leaped high into the air and swatted the shot attempt away, and Cyclones big man Avery Anderson finished at the other end.
GHEC appeared to be unraveling as they now played with a level of desperation while St. Clair was in attack mode on both ends of the court. Bilitz was left wide open on one play, and he splashed his fourth 3 of the evening; he would later show some finesse in the post as a pass fake distracted his defender off his spot which set up a bunny shot at the rim. It was an incredible display of marksmanship by the senior as he finished the first half with 17 points, but his impact was felt on the defensive end when he absorbed a hard shot in the paint and was rewarded a charge call from the officials. As the half drew to a close, the Cyclones looked poised with a 31-21 lead.
It was a less-than-desirable start to the half for the Cyclones, but some tenacious defense and the heroic efforts of seniors Bilitz, Emery, and Ward helped stabilize the young team toward a 10-point lead. Assistant Coach Jon Jamieson credited the team for “stepping up on the defensive end” en route to the halftime lead as the Cyclones forced several turnovers that would lead to fastbreak points.
The second half started with a bang as Freitag nailed a three in the opening seconds, but a hard fall from a GHEC player suddenly halted the game while the training staff looked him over. Thankfully, the player bounced up back onto his feet. Both teams traded baskets back and forth until the Jaguars began to use their size in the post to their advantage and cut the lead to 35-30. Emery got his team back on track with a jump shot over a defender’s outstretched hands.
There were some late game dramatics as GHEC attempted a final push, but missed opportunities on the fast break sparked chaos as both teams battled for the rebound. The ball would careen toward the sideline and Ward, in hot pursuit, nearly toppled over the official, but everyone shared a laugh at the insanity that had occurred. The Cyclones were able to thwart any comeback from the Jaguars as the final seconds ran off the clock on their 59-46 victory. Bilitz finished the night with a team-high 25 points; Freitag had 11.
It was an impressive victory for St. Clair as they overcame some early mistakes on both ends of the floor, but were able to compose themselves and secure the victory. The seniors played pivotal roles in the win as Bilitz, Emery, and E. Ward knocked down clutch shots when their team needed a pick-me-up with the former being the star of the game. Bilitz’s proficiency from three has been on display since last season, and the evening’s performance hopes to be an indication of an entertaining season if he can keep this pace.
Coach Altenhofen took immense pride in the win and he thanked the seniors for their ‘big contributions” tonight. While he noted there were some areas to improve like starting the game “cleaner”, he was happy with how his team “showed patience offensively, and our defense did a really good job putting pressure on the ball…this is definitely a step in the right direction for this team.”
The Cyclones were able to keep heading in the right direction as they defeated the NRHEG Panthers 73-51 on December 12. Bilitz and Freitag combined for a staggering 46 points (24 & 22 respectively), while Avery Anderson secured his second straight game with 10+ rebounds. The team gave up a large number of second chance points to the Panthers, but the Cyclones were able to shoot their way to victory. St. Clair will look to keep their hot start going against some tough competition as they face off against Blue Earth Area on December 17 and Mankato Loyola on December 21. Go Cyclones!
