BURNS – The Southeast Cyclones boys basketball team suffered close losses against second-ranked Wyoming Indian and Saratoga to start their season at the Burns Winter Classic over the weekend, before rebounding to beat Shoshoni.
“I think we played better than I thought we would, but we still have a long way to go,” coach Crockett Herring said. “For the first weekend, I was pleased.”
Wyoming Indian 61, Southeast 53
Southeast found itself down seven at the end of the first quarter against the Chiefs, 20-13. The Cyclones turned things around in the second quarter to head into the break down 32-31. Returning to the floor, Southeast continued its solid play, outscoring Wyoming Indian 16-13 in the third to take a 47-45 lead. Wyoming Indian flexed their might in the fourth quarter, outscoring Southeast 16-6 in the final eight minutes of action to seal the 61-53 win.
“We were up 52-50 in the fourth quarter and battled with them until about four minutes left,” Herring said. “It was just inexperience and we just need to learn how to close out games.”
Hayden Anderson stepped up in the game, scoring 14 points after coming off the bench. He also had four rebounds and a steal.
Sterling Werner recorded a double-double in the win, recording 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting and 12 rebounds, three from the offensive glass. He also added two assists to his stat line.
Brady Fullmer and Kaden Malm were both in double-figures, tallying 10 points apiece. They combined to shoot 8-of-22 from the field, including 3-of-8 from behind the arc. Fullmer tallied five rebounds and an assist, while Malm chipped in four boards and a team-high four assists.
Bodie and Cade Herring rounded out the scoring, combining for seven points, two rebounds and an assist. Brant Fullmer spent a lot of time on the floor to open the season, recording five boards and three assists.
The Cyclones shot 43 percent in the loss, compared to Wyoming Indian’s 41 percent. They also outrebounded the Chiefs 33-20.
“I knew we were going to be able to score,” Herring said. “The young group can shoot better than last year’s team. I can still see us shooting considerably better.”
Saratoga 62, Southeast 56
The third quarter proved to be the demise of the Cyclones against the Panthers. After the first frame, the two teams were tied at 11 and Southeast put up 21 points to Saratoga’s 18 in the second half. After trailing 32-29 at the break, the Panthers more than doubled-up the Cyclones in the third quarter, 19-8, changing the score to 48-40 in favor of Saratoga. Southeast tried to rally in the fourth, but came up short, outscoring Saratoga 16-14 in the fourth but falling 62-56.
The trio of seniors for Southeast all poured in 15 points apiece. Werner shot 7-of-11 from the floor, which he paired with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Nine of Malm’s 15 points came from behind the arc. He also paced the team with nine rebounds and tied for the team-lead in assists, with five. Fullmer rounded out the 15-point scorers on 7-of-15 shooting. He also had four rebounds and an assist.
Cade Herring knocked down two three-pointers to finish the night with six points, a rebound and a steal. Anderson and Bodie Herring combined for five points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal.
In the loss, Southeast shot 39 percent from the floor, but only 21 percent from behind the arc. Saratoga knocked down 44 percent of their shots.
Southeast 51, Shoshoni 27
The Cyclones got off a hot start in their final game of the weekend against Shoshoni, pouring in 19 points in the first quarter, while allowing only six. Both teams put up eight points in the second to send the game to halftime with Southeast leading 27-14.
In the third quarter, Southeast piled on 14 more points to Shoshoni’s eight and cruised to a 10-5 difference in the fourth to win the contest 51-27.
In the win, the Cyclones shot 45 percent from the floor, including 42 percent from behind the arc. They outrebounded the Wranglers 31-16.
Werner tallied a double-double in the win, tallying 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting, along with 10 rebounds, three assists and four steals. Fullmer was the second Cyclone in double-figures, chipping in 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting. He also had three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Fellow starter Herring racked up seven points, while Malm turned in six points. Malm also had a team-high seven assists, along with three steals. Anderson chipped in five points, while Brant Fullmer and Harrison Hall added two points apiece. The three combined for seven rebounds, while Tim Becker added another four, along with an assist.
“With these sophomores and freshman, I think any night any one of them can go off for 10 points and it wouldn’t be that big of a stretch,” Herring said.
At the conclusion of the Winter Classic, the Cyclones sit at 1-2. Southeast returns to action in a tournament hosted by Shoshoni over the weekend.
