Cyclones End Skid with Home Win

Coming off an 0-3 start to the conference season, SCTCC entered Saturday's home game versus Western Wisconsin Technical College Cavaliers needing to get back in the win column.  The Cyclones provided an entertaining afternoon for the home fans by pulling out a 95-91 victory at the Whitney Recreation Center. 

The Cyclones began the game focused, and it showed on both ends of the floor.  The hot shooting on the offensive end was provided by a few different players as the home team hit 53% from the floor including 6 of 10 from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes.  Freshman Riley West (Lakeville, MN) provided the bulk of the scoring with 17 first half points.  Freshman Leland Harris (Brooklyn Park, MN) came off the bench to hit 3 of 3 from beyond the 3 point line.  Fellow Freshman Zach Jiskra (Sartell, MN) added to the total with 10 points.  SCTCC jumped out to a 30-15 lead, only to have the lead cut to 54-46 at half.

The second half was more of the same, with both teams continuing the high paced and high scoring exchange.  Western would shoot 5 of 11 from three and manage to cut the Cyclone lead to 3 with only seconds remaining.  Ray Goines had  three free throw attempts to potentially tie the game.  Western would miss all three and Riley West would hit 1 of 2 from the line to put the game out of reach.  The Cavaliers were led by Cody Krueger with 29 points overall, but only one other player reach double figures for the visitors as they came up short.

West would finish the afternoon with a season high 36 points.  Freshman Jett Leaf (Howard Lake, MN) added 17 points.  Freshman Alex Matchinsky (St. Cloud, MN) and Leland Harris both contributed 14 points.  Zach Jiskra had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Game Stats vs WW
SCTCC will hit the road this week to face MN-West CC on Wednesday night in Worthington, and follow that up with a trip to Fergus Falls Saturday to play MN State-Fergus Falls.

Cyclones Unable to Finish at CLC

In the final game of the Central Lakes College winter classic, SCTCC was matched up against the host school CLC Raiders.  Being the second night of a back to back, the Cyclones were expecting a close game, and that is exactly what they got.  However, they failed to pull out the road win with a 86-78 loss

SCTCC began the game knocking down shots and fought hard to stop the Raiders on the defensive end.  Let in the half however, the Cyclones were battling foul trouble and not shooting with the same consistency as earlier in the half.  Freshman Jett Leaf (Howard Lake, MN) led the offensive attack with 11 points and fellow freshman Alex Matchinsky (St. Cloud, MN) added 10 points.  The half ended with the home team taking a 40-31 lead into the locker room.  SCTCC shot only 33% from the field and allowed CLC to shoot 44% from the floor.

The Cyclones continued playing hard throughout the second half, outscoring CLC in the half.  The 1st half deficit proved to be too much to come back from, as the Raiders knocked down their free throws to close out the game.  Jett Leaf and freshman Jared Noonan (Richfield, MN) led the way with 24 points a piece.  Alex Matchinsky had 18 points and 8 rebounds.  Nate Vang (Eyota, MN) added a season high 11 rebounds. 

The Cyclones will open up MCAC southern division play this Wednesday at Ridgewater College.  The top four teams in each division will qualify for the MCAC state tournament at the end of the season.
Game Stats vs CLC

Cyclones Begin 2013 with a Buzzer Beating Loss

Coming off of winter break, the SCTCC Cyclones hit the hardwood again at the Central Lakes Winter Classic in Brainerd.  The first match-up put the Cyclones against NJCAA #3 ranked Vermillion Ironmen.  The last time these two teams met, the Ironmen pulled out an 8 point win.  SCTCC knew it was going to be a hard-fought game, and it turned out to be a heart breaker in the end.

The first half saw the Cyclones jump out to an early 20-8 lead with great ball movement and defensive intensity.  The Ironmen worked their way back into the game forcing 11 first half turnovers, and converting many of the Cyclone mistakes into baskets.  The first half ended with the Ironmen taking a slim lead at 37-36.  The Cyclones were lead by starting guard trio of Riley West (8 points), Jett Leaf (8 points) and Jared Noonan (7 points). 

The second half was much of the same, SCTCC and VCC played a closely contested game.  The Cyclones would tie the game up late, and have to play the final 30.7 seconds on the defensive end as Vermillion held the ball for the last shot.  VCC went to a ball screen on the wing, in which the Cyclones covered very well.  The Ironmen's Derek Meger caught the ball on the baseline and drove towards the basket throwing up a runner as time expired.  The ball caught the front of the rim and rattled in sending the Cyclones to a 79-77 loss.

SCTCC was lead by Jared Noonan (Richfield, MN) with 19 points and 8 rebounds.  Jett Leaf (Howard Lake, MN) added 14 points and 6 rebounds.  Riley West (Lakeville, MN) finished with 12 points, 6 assists.  Alex Matchinsky 10 pts, 5 rebs - Leland Harris 10 pts - Zach Jiskra 6 pts - Nate Vang 4 pts, 5 rebs - Brandon Marek 2 pts.

SCTCC will play Central Lakes College Saturday at 4:00 pm in Brainerd.
Game Stats vs Vermillion

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. 

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!

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.

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.