After a brief late-season stumble that saw them drop two straight games, the St. Clair Lady Cyclones rediscovered their identity at exactly the right time.
Following a high-octane shootout victory and a dominant regular-season f inale, the Cyclones (20-5) have officially seized the No. 1 seed heading into the Section 2AA tournament. Entering their matchup against Waterville-Elysian-Morristown (WEM), the Cyclones were looking to snap a two-game skid characterized by streaky shooting.
Within minutes of the first half…it was safe to say they found their offensive rhythm following a touchdown pass from Hinze to Blount. Both squads displayed a proficiency from the perimeter in the first half; WEM’s LaFrance kept the Bucs in the contest with a pair of deep triples–one to weather the Bucs’ storm, securing a 91-79 victory. almost at halfcourt–but it was St. Clair’s very own markswoman, Mathiowetz, who put on a true shooting clinic. She buried five three-pointers in the first half alone, including a four-point play that shifted the momentum firmly toward the Cyclones. Despite a brief WEM run before the break, Jobe punctuated the half with a banked-in buzzer-beater, sending St. Clair to the locker room up 51-36.
The second half began with the Cyclones bombarding the Bucs with an impressive 19-2 run. Hinze and Meng relentlessly pursued passing lanes and dominated the transition game, pushing the lead to 32 points. However, the game took a dramatic turn as pace slowed to a crawl, allowing the Bucs to plunder their way back with a 12-2 run of their own, eventually cutting the deficit to just 12 points. The Cyclones’ veteran leadership took over late. Meng (21 points) and Hinze (30 points) combined for several Mathiowetz finished the night with 18 points.
The momentum carried into February 19 for the rescheduled Coaches v Cancer night against the GHEC-T-ML Jaguars. With the crowd chanting “Jump Meng Jump,” the Cyclone atmosphere was electric from the opening tip. St. Clair dismantled the Jaguars 80-45 in near-flawless fashion. It was a balanced offensive clinic with five players reaching double digits, but a series of five-point swings defined the first half. Possessions where Hinze, Loeslie, and Meng drained a three then immediately followed with a steal-and-score drained the Jaguars’ spirit. By the time the final whistle blew, the Cyclones had proven exactly why they earned the top spot in the section. Meng led scoring with 24 points, Hinze with 18, Winkler with 11, Loeslie & Mathiowetz with 10 each.
The 2025-2026 campaign has been one for the history books at St. Clair. Beyond the 20-5 record, two seniors reached monumental milestones: Brooklin Hinze surpassed the 2,000-point career mark, while Brooklyn Meng joined the 1,000-point club. Coach Noyes credited the team’s preparation as a key element to their success, “We worked incredibly hard all off-season to get us ready for this Section tournament,” he said. “We have some great leadership and we’re prepared to handle what comes our way.”
The quest for a spot at the state tournament begins now for this determined Lady Cyclones squad. Their first matchup pits them against the 16-seed Albert Lea Tigers on February 23rd. With their shooting back on track and a defense that can trigger lethal transition runs, the Cyclones are primed to storm past the competition as they make their way through Section 2AA.
