Bulldogs take a bite out of them in both games
While the home teams suffered defeats from familiar foes, two communities banded together for a memorable evening for a noble cause. Coaches vs. Cancer has been an ongoing tradition for St. Clair since 2011, and the district has been able to raise over 250,000 dollars toward Cancer Research; a free-will donation pulled pork dinner was served, a bake sale contributing to Kids v Cancer was held, and the American Cancer Society was accepting donations of any kind.
It was a colorfully collaborative effort amongst many fans, the athletes on the court, and supporters of the cause. Bright pink clothing like shirts, hats, and beads beamed across the gym while decorations like tablecloths and balloons brought a pop of pink to the Commons area. Hundreds of posters with names of those who battled or succumbed to cancer were posted around the walls of the gym–an emotional reminder of how ruthless the disease can be and the impact it has had on so many communities. Emotions were high during warmups as players wore the names of those closest to them who were impacted by cancer.
As the games were underway, the somber tone of the night changed to a cheerier one as both games showcased incredible skill and breathtaking shots; however, the JWP Bulldogs outplayed the Cyclones and won convincingly by 20+ points.
Girls: St. Clair 63, JWP 86
The Cyclone girls entered the matchup against the Bulldogs with high spirits as the top seed in the South Central Conference after their victory over the Wolverines. Coach Noyes was proud of the accomplishment, but with only a few weeks left in the season, there was still work to be done. “Leading our conference has been our goal all season, but we’re still searching for our ceiling as a team; we’re starting to play how we are capable, and it’s important we keep that going.”
St. Clair has struggled shooting the ball all season, but their defense has been a cornerstone of their success; however, they back-pedaled for much of the contest as JWP used their superior speed and quickness to overwhelm them early in the first half. The two teams traded shots in the opening minutes and, at one point, were tied at 10. The Cyclones would soon receive a gut punch as the Bulldogs got on a hot streak from the floor; their transition offense was lethal as several possessions went coast-to-coast despite a defender draped all over them. Mathiowetz kept her team in the game with a three to make the game 17-13, but JWP would be unrelenting from the perimeter and gain a 10-point advantage.
St. Clair left a timeout determined to battle their way back into the game, and they relied on their dynamic duo to lead them; Brooklyn Meng would attack the paint while Brooklin Hinze did most of her damage from the free throw line. Hinze endured a fair share of damage throughout the matchup, with her rough-and-tumble style leading to crashouts on the court. The Cyclones were able to make it a six-point game, but the Bulldogs bit back hard with a six-point run of their own to make it 31-19, and they would hold a double-digit lead for the rest of the game. A late push by St. Clair in the first half came from numerous threes; however, JWP maintained their fast-paced offense, which created far too many ease paths to the basket and added to their ever-growing lead–they’d enter the half up 45-39.
It was clear in the first few minutes of the second half that the Cyclones were in for a long night as an eight-point run by the Bulldogs ballooned their lead to 53-39. St. Clair struggled on offense for their opening possessions as Hinze attempted to will her team back into the match, but JWP’s defense surrounded her and collided with her every time she drove to the basket. The Cyclone offense went quiet until Mathiowetz drilled her fourth three-pointer of the night to snap the cold streak. She would also deliver a flashy pass to Hinze on the break to make it a 12-point game, but JWP would continue to dominate the interior with their transition game. Cyclone defenders were chasing the tails of the Bulldogs all night, and the superior team won the matchup handily; they were outworked, outmatched, and outplayed.
With the result well in hand, the subs entered the court, and St. Clair’s Leah Bowe banked a three and received a large ovation from the home crowd and her teammates, but it was too little too late as JWP took home a commanding victory 86-63. Hinze led the team with 24 points; Mathiowetz with 16; Meng with 11. The loss had unintended consequences for the Cyclones as they were bumped to second place in the SCC.
Boys: St. Clair 38, JWP 72
Following the girl’s matchup, the Cyclone boys took the court with Coach Altenhofen back in the driver’s seat after missing the last three games due to illness; a sudden resurgence on the offensive side helped carry St. Clair to two victories during the stretch. Despite a 51-64 loss to LCWM on Thursday, Altenhofen felt confident his team would bounce back against a formidable JWP squad. “We must continue playing together and work hard on the court. Our ball movement helped us create good shots for us these past few games. We just need to keep attacking.”
The opening possession for the Cyclones would be disastrous as a shot clock violation had the ball going the other way, and the Bulldogs took advantage with a speedy four-point swing. It was a physical matchup from start to finish. JWP’s stingy defense suffocated St. Clair in the first half; p were few and far between for the Cyclones as they went scoreless for several stretches while the Bulldogs had their way inside–whether it be rebounding or some old-fashioned post play, the lead soon swelled to 25-8.
St. Clair attempted to fight back into the game with a small burst of points, supplying them with some confidence heading into the second half. Avery Anderson had his work cut out for him on the block, but he used some fancy footwork to convert down low while Ward drained a three to keep his team afloat 27-11. Bilitz did much of his damage close to the basket with two straight layups, and he endured some contact on a jump shot that bounced off the rim before falling in; Sam Freitag would nail a three-pointer in the final seconds of the half, but it barely made a dent in JWP’s overwhelming 48-20 lead.
It was the Cyclones’ fourth game of the week, so perhaps fatigue played a role in the slow start for them, but it was clear that they were being outworked on the court…a departure from the usual spirit of this squad.
Anderson got the second half rolling with a jumper from the baseline, but that highlight would be one of the only ones for the Cyclones as the toll of constantly being on the defensive took its toll; the Bulldogs ramped up their intensity and physicality on the court to expand their lead 57-24. Even when St. Clair had a possible highlight, like an Austin Ward fastbreak, a last-second JWP defender would swipe the ball out of his hands and then take it coast-to-coast for a score of their own. Soon, the mercy rule began to drain precious seconds off the clock.
Down 67-34 with a few minutes left, both teams brought in their subs–Will Goosen was on the receiving end of a bounce pass by Winkler and netted a basket plus the foul, which received uproarious applause from the home crowd. It was a rough evening for the Cyclones as they failed to match the tireless effort of the Bulldogs, dropping the contest 72-38. Bilitz finished the night with 10 points.
The season has been filled with growing pains for a young St. Clair team, and a last-place finish in the South Central Conference (0-5 record) leaves much to be desired for them as they enter the final few games of the season. Due to some rescheduling, the Cyclones will face off against Sibley East on February 4 and engage in a rematch against Le Sueur-Henderson on February 6. Go Cyclones!
