Saturday, December 15, 2012

Cyclones Post Victory at Hibbing

The SCTCC Cyclones men's basketball team traveled to Hibbing Community College on Friday night.  This was the team's final game before break, as they will finish up the final exams next week.  The Cyclones looked to even the season series with the Cardinals after taking a tough overtime loss at home in their first match-up on November 21.

The Cyclones found themselves in a hole during the early stages of the first half, as they fell behind by 12.  After a timeout, the Cyclones regrouped, and fought their way back into the game.  Freshman point guard Riley West (Lakeville, MN) bounced back from an early ankle injury, and led the Cyclones in first half scoring with 14 points.  Jared Noonan (Richfield, MN) had 10 points.  The first half ended up with the two teams all tied up at 40-40.

SCTCC took an early lead in the second half on an inside basket from freshman Nate Vang (Eyota, MN).  The lead was short lived as the Cardinals would connect on their next 4 field goals (3-3 3FGs).  Once again, SCTCC had to come from behind.  After tying the game up with 4 minutes remaining, the Cyclones would continue to get stops on the defensive end.  In the end, the game was won at the free throw line.  Freshman Zach Jiskra (Sartell, MN) would step in an knock down 2 free throws with just over a minute on the clock.  Nate Vang was fouled after rebounding a Cardinal miss, and would go 2-2 from the line with under a minute remaining to put the Cyclones up 3.  After securing another rebound with 7.8 seconds remaining, Riley West would step to the line with the Cyclones up 3.  He hit both free throws to push the lead to 5, where it would end up 76-71.

Team defense was the constant for the Cyclones as they held the home team to 32% shooting on the night.  On the offensive end, although the Cyclones would struggle from the floor (42% FG), but it would be enough in the end to secure the victory on the road.
Game Stats vs Hibbing

The Cyclones finish up the first semester going 5-6, winning their last 3 games in a row.  The next game will be a rematch with NJCAA #3 ranked Vermillion CC in Brainerd on January 4. 


Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Cyclones win in last home game before break

In a rematch from just 21 days ago, SCTCC faced Itasca Community College Vikings on Tuesday evening at the Whitney Recreation Center.  The result, unlike the first contest, was a 86-77 Cyclone victory.

Playing with just an 8 man roster, the Cyclones knew they were going to need a great effort from each member of the team.  The first half was back and forth between the two teams, as there were 9 ties and 6 lead changes.  The last 5 min of the half belonged to the home team however, as the Cyclones stretched their lead to 11 points.  A Shawn Atkins last second jumper just before half, left the score at 44-35 Cyclones lead.  Freshman guard Jett Leaf (Howard Lake, MN) led the first half scoring with 15 points on 6-7 shooting.  Freshman Jared Noonan (Richfield, MN) also began the game with hot shooting, as he was 6-6 from the floor for 13 points.  Freshman Alex Matchinsky provided great energy with 10 points and 7 rebounds.

The Vikings came out right away in the second half with energy, forcing 4 more lead changes.  SCTCC continued to play hard, and kept attacking the basket.  Freshman Nate Vang (Eyota, MN) had a two handed dunk along with 3 other slashing baskets around the rim to fuel the Cyclone effort.  The defensive pressure was consistent throughout the 2nd half, and the Cyclones finished the game knocking down shots at the free throw line.

Jared Noonan finished with a team high 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Jett Leaf ended the night with 20 points and 3 steals.  Alex Matchinsky had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.  Riley West (Lakeville, MN) had 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.  Nate Vang had his best game of the season with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Game State vs Itasca

The Cyclones hit the road this Friday to take on Hibbing Community College.  SCTCC lost an overtime game to Hibbing 81-80 in their last matchup.  The next home game will be January 15th.  Follow the Cyclones on Twitter, Facebook, and the SCTCC homepage until then!

Monday, December 10, 2012

Cyclones Split Games on Road & Home

The Cyclone men's basketball team made the short trip to Collegeville, MN on Wednesday December 5th to play St. John's University JV.  The Cylcones and the Johnnies played a tightly contested 1st half, and came away with a 33-33 score after the first 20 minutes.  The second half did not begin well for SCTCC.  Combining a cold start on the offensive end, and a hot shooting Johnnie team, the Cyclones trailed by as many as 18 points early in the second half.  SCTCC once again had to persevere, and work their way back into the game.  The offensive execution improved and defensive intensity turned up, the Cyclones were able to cut the lead to 4 points in the final moments.  However the effort was all for naught, as the final horn sounded with the score 79-75.
The team was lead again by a trio of Freshman guards.  Riley West (Lakeville, MN) 32 points and 10 rebounds, Jared Noonan (Richfield,MN) 15 points and 5 rebounds, and Jett Leaf (Howard Lake,MN) 14 points.  Nic Monssen (Rockford, MN) came off the bench with 3 points and 10 rebounds.
Game Stats vs St Johns JV

The Cyclones regrouped Friday night, and played another MCAC northern division opponent in Northland Community College.  This game marked the first for SCTCC on it's newly redesigned home floor at the Whitney Center.  New scoreboards and baskets were installed during the week, and the team was excited to open up with a win on the new floor.
SCTCC came out with great energy and spirit from the tip.  Defensively, the Cyclones created 12 steals and 21 points off of those TO's.  Northland wouldn't go without a fight however, and were lead by 16 first half points from Jaylon Gunderson.  The first half ended with the Cyclones up by 2 at 35-33. 
Knowing that a team effort was needed to pull out the win, many Cyclones stepped up in the second half to lead the team to victory.  Inside, SCTCC was lead by starters Alex Matchinsky (St. Cloud, MN) with 9 points and 5 rebounds, and Nate Vang (Eyota, MN) with 8 points and 8 rebounds.  On the perimeter Riley West again led the charge with 19 points, 4 assists.  Zach Jiskra (Sartell, MN) came off the bench with 13 points, Jett Leaf added 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and Jared Noonan with 11 points.
Game Stats vs Northland
The final home game of first semester is Tuesday, December 10th at 8 pm vs Itasca CC.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Sluggish start leads to setback on the road



The SCTCC Cyclone men’s basketball team travelled to Ely, MN Friday night to take on Vermillion CC.  The Vermillion men’s team was ranked #5 in the most recent NJCAA poll.  The Cyclones came out a little sluggish turning the ball over early against the full court pressure of the Ironmen.  The longer, more athletic, Vermillion team would use the early momentum and take a 16 point lead into halftime.

In the first half, the Cyclones were led by freshman guard Jett Leaf (Howard Lake, MN) with 8 points, and Sophomore captain Brandon Marek (Annandale, MN) with 7 points off the bench.  As a team, SCTCC was not finishing open looks from both inside the paint (36%) or behind the arc (25%).

After regrouping at half, the team came out with a greater focus and it showed on the floor.  After falling behind by 18 points early in the second half, the Cyclones battled back to within 4 late in the game.  Jett Leaf continued his good scoring night and finished the game with 30 points on 10-17 shooting, 3/7 3FGs.  Riley West came alive in the second half finishing with 15 points and 7 assists.
In the end the game was decided on the glass, with Vermillion out-rebounding the Cyclones 52-30 and making 21-28 from the FT line.  The Cyclones held Vermillion’s two leading scorers Emeche Meger and Shawn Bear to 6 points respectively (they came in averaging 15ppg a piece).

Scoring for the Cyclones: Jett Leaf 30 points – Riley West 15 points, 7 assists – Brandon Marek 9 points – Jared Noonan 9 points – Leland Harris 5 points – Nate Vang 4 points – Nic Monssen 4 points – Zach Jiskra 2 points.

SCTCC is on the road Saturday afternoon in Virginia, MN taking on Mesabi Range CTC at 3 pm.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Cyclones Bounce Back in Bemidji

The SCTCC men's basketball team traveled to Bemidji Saturday afternoon to take on Oak Hills Christian College.  Oak Hills is a member of the NIAC league that SCTCC played in last year before moving to the MCAC and NJCAA this season.  This was the first road game for the Cyclones this season, and they came away with a solid win 114-44.

From the opening tip, the Cyclones were in control of the game from the start as they controlled the tip, and scored on an over-the-head pass from guard Riley West to guard Jett Leaf for the lay-in.  SCTCC was looking be aggressive in getting to the basket, as they were finding holes and driving lanes throughout the game shooting 58% from the floor.  When the Oak Hills defense slid over to help, the Cyclones continued to make the extra pass to open teammates which resulted in a season high 24 assists.  SCTCC was led by West's team high 13 assists (a new Cyclone single game record).

On the other end of the floor the defense was much improved from Wednesday night.  Holding the Wolfpack to 37% shooting in the first half, and kept the intensity up throughout the second half by holding the home team to 21% shooting.  The Cyclones controlled the glass as well with a plus-28 advantage in rebound margin.

The Cyclones were led by Scott Moody with 19 points and 12 rebounds (5 off).  Freshman guards Jett Leaf and Jared Noonan both added 18 points.  Alex Matchinsky and Leland Harris both came off the bench to add 16 and 13 respectively.

Moody - 19 pts 12 rebs, Leaf - 18pts, Noonan - 18pts 8 rebs, Matchinsky - 16pts, Harris - 13pts, Riley West - 7 pts 13 ast, Zach Jiskra - 7 pts 7 rebs, Nic Monssen - 6 pts 5 rebs, Nate Vang - 4 pts 7 rebs, Brent Petermeier - 4 pts, Brandon Marek - 2 pts
Game Stats

The Cyclones will head back on the road Tuesday evening to face Itasca CC in Grand Rapids.  They will play the following night at home vs Hibbing CC at the Whitney Center.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Tough Loss to Crossroads College

SCTCC was at home again on Wednesday evening to face Crossroads College, a 4 year bible school out of Rochester, MN.  The Blue Knights came into Whitney Center and gave the Cyclones all they could handle, and came away with a 91-85 win.

Crossroads came out from the start hitting shots from all over the floor.  They opened up an early lead, one which they would not give up the rest of the game.  The Blue Knights were lead by JR post player Andy Carsons with 21 points in the first half, and shot 59% from the floor as a team.  Even with the hot start by the visitors, the Cyclones only trailed by 3 at the half, 46-43.
Freshman Zach Jiskra (Sartell, MN) came off the bench to pace the Cyclones with 15 1st half points.

The second half was much of the same, as the home team could not rally together enough stops on the defensive end of the floor.  The Cylones kept the game close the whole way, keeping the deficit within a couple possessions, but were not able to get the big stop they needed.  The Blue Knights cooled off in the second half, but were able to get to the free-throw line 27 times in the 2nd half alone, knocking down 19 of 27 (70%). 

Freshman Jared Noonan (Richfield, MN) knocked in a 3/4 court shot at the buzzer, but it wasn't enough as SCTCC fell by 6 and are now 1-1 on the season.

Zach Jiskra - 22 pts, Jared Noonan - 14 pts, Scott Moody - 14 pts 13 rebs, Riley West 10 pts, Jett Leaf - 9 pts 6 rebs 7 ast, Brandon Marek - 8 pts, Nate Vang - 6 pts.

 The Cyclones will be back in action on Saturday afternoon at 1pm in Bemidji versus Oak Hills Christian College.
Game Stats

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Opening Night For the '12-'13 Cyclones

The season began on Friday night as the SCTCC Cyclones took the Whitney Center floor for the first time.  The Mayville State University Comet's JV team came into St. Cloud and battled until the final buzzer.

The game was defined by large runs for each offense.  The Cyclones jumped out to a sizable lead in the first half lead by freshman guard Jared Noonan (Richfield, MN) with 12 points.  The Cyclones controlled the game on both ends of the floor holding Mayville State to just 24.2% FG and shot 46% from the field on offense.  They were hot-shooting from behind the arc, hitting 7-14 from 3FG, including 2 from Freshman guard Riley West (Lakeville, MN), 2 from Jared Noonan, and 1 each from freshman Alex Matchinsky (St. Cloud, MN), freshman Leland Harris (Brooklyn Park, MN) and sophomore Brent Petermeier (Browerville, MN).  SCTCC went into the half leading 52-27 on the scoreboard.

After taking their largest lead at 66-36 on a one-handed Scott Moody dunk with 15 minutes remaining in the game, the Cyclones would go stagnant on offense.  On the other end of the floor, the Comet's began to heat up from behind the arc, hitting 7 of 15 in the second half.  Mayville would go on a 15-3 run and cut into the lead the Cyclones had built.  They would end up outscoring the home team in the second half by 17 points, but in the end the Cyclones would hold on to win 83-75.

Every Cyclone scored in the game and leaders for St. Cloud were Scott Moody with 19 points and 10 rebounds (6 offensive).  Riley West came close to a triple double tallying 18 points 10 rebounds and 7 assists.  Jared Noonan - 13, Alex Matchinsky - 9, Abdallah Borner - 4, Brandon Marek - 4, Nate Vang - 4, Zach Jiskra - 4, Brent Petermeier - 3, Leland Harris - 3, and Jett Leaf - 2.

SCTCC begins the year at 1-0, and will play again on Wednesday night at 7:00pm in St. Cloud versus Crossroads College of Rochester, MN.
Game Stats