The Southeast Lady Cyclones went undefeated in two back-to-back, physical games.
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YODER – The Southeast High School Lady Cyclones successfully defended the home court in two physical, point-for-point battles over the weekend.
On Friday, the Lady Cyclones fought off an attempt by the Mitchell Lady Tigers to close a first-quarter lead in the fourth quarter with Southeast posting a 23-15 win.
Saturday’s game pitted Southeast against conference rival Niobrara County in an intense dogfight that came down to the wire. The Lady Cyclones kept it together through four demanding quarters to score eighth decisive points in the fourth and clinch a 28-20 victory.
“I saw some good improvements this week from where we were the previous week,” coach Jennifer Scheer said. “Our defense over the last few weeks was not where we wanted it and that was a key area of emphasis. We made adjustments and got back to playing defensively – playing standard Southeast basketball. Lusk is a very similar style of team and also plays very defensively. The game got really physical but the kids handled it well and met the challenge.”
Mitchell
Southeast left it all on the court in the first quarter. The Lady Cyclones netted seven points while an ironclad Southeast defense shut out the Lady Tigers.
Senior Brooklyn Leithead set the pace for Southeast in the opening eight minutes of regulation with five points while sophomore Brylie Booth tossed in a close-range shot. On defense, senior Anna Hartman and Leithead both snapped up steals while Leithead and Booth each reached up for a block.
Southeast topped Mitchell in scoring, 6-2, in the second quarter. Booth and juniors Keana Llewellyn and Bria Mills each contributed buckets while Hartman snatched a steal.
Southeast led at halftime, 13-2.
Both teams scored four points in the third quarter, with Llewellyn going on a four-point run.
Mitchell outscored Southeast in the final quarter, 9-6, but the Lady Tigers’ effort to bridge the deficit came up short. Leithead, Booth and sophomore Rein Coulson each scored in the fourth.
Leithead led the Lady Cyclones in scoring against Mitchell with seven points. Booth and Llewellyn each contributed six points with two apiece by Mills and Coulson.
On the boards, Booth pulled down eight rebounds with Leithead tallying seven.
Niobrara County
Southeast threw the first punch with a 5-0 run to open the first quarter. Hartman drained a deep outside shot, Llewellyn grabbed a steal and Booth scored from inside the perimeter.
Niobrara County responded with a 9-1 run to pull ahead, 9-6, as the second quarter commenced.
Niobrara County widened its lead to several possessions, 13-7, midway into the second quarter.
Southeast battled back with 9-3 run, primarily from the free-throw line. Sophomore Lyla Wernsman broke through Niobrara County’s perimeter to net a jumper. Hartman, Llewellyn and junior Taylor Tregemba scored from the charity stripe to tie the game at 14 points.
Leithead rebounded a missed shot by Niobrara County and Llewellyn forced a turnover. Llewellyn then went 2-for-2 at the free-throw line, returning the lead to Southeast, 16-14.
The Lady Cyclones defense prevented Niobrara County from scoring for the remainder of the second quarter. Sophomore Haylee Ekwall rebounded a shot from the Lady Tigers and Southeast ended the first half in possession and ahead, 16-14.
A gritty third quarter saw the Lady Cyclones net four points while the Southeast defense held Niobrara County to three. Tregemba went on a four-point run to place Southeast up, 20-17, as the final quarter began.
Booth led on the boards in the third quarter with six defensive rebounds.
The Lady Cyclones topped Niobrara County in scoring, 8-3, to seal the win in the final eight minutes. Leithead led the offensive effort with four points while Hartman and Booth rounded out scoring with a bucket apiece.
Hartman set the pace for the Southeast offense through the course of the game with eight points. Llewellyn and Tregemba both collected five points with four apiece by Booth and Leithead and two from Wernsman.