(Harlan) Harlan bounced back from Thursday’s 68-45 loss at Carroll with a 58-53 win in double OT against Creston on Friday.
Aubrey Schwieso scored 23 points and Erica Rust contributed 14 to curtail a strong performance from a young and quickly improving Creston team. From the very start the Panthers looked much better than their 4-12 record might indicate. The visitors held leads of 5-2, 9-5, and 11-10 in the opening minutes. Harlan closed the first quarter on an 11-3 stretch to take a 21-14 advantage into the 2nd.
Creston’s defense helped them hang around for the rest of the first half. Keely Coen hit two 3-pointers before the break and Ella Turner knocked in another to help them claw back within two at 24-22. A Schwieso perimeter shot late in the 2nd quarter helped ensure a 27-25 Harlan lead at halftime.
Doryn Paup was a big factor for Creston with 10 1st half points and she made 6/6 at the free-throw line. The 3rd quarter was very even, with neither team ever leading by more than five points. Creston took a brief 35-34 lead on an Aleah Calvin interior basket. Harlan answered late in the frame to claim a 36-35 lead through three quarters.
The 4th quarter saw Harlan get off to a 6-0 run and lead by seven points. The Cyclones switched to a box-and-one defense intended to limit Paup, but Creston stayed in the hunt and rallied with a 9-4 stretch to force overtime with the game tied at 46. After a 4:00 extra session neither team was able to gain any breathing room so a second overtime ensued. Harlan hit some key free-throws and secured a 58-53 win.
The home squad went 18/28 from the line in the game including 12/16 after halftime. Creston was 15/26 for the game on free-throws, but only 7/15 after halftime. Paup scored a team high 16 for the Panthers while Ella Turner contributed 13 points and Keely Coen had 11.
After the game coach Zach Klaassen referred to it as a ‘gutty’ win. “Very gutty. They jumped on us in that first overtime and got up three right away and we crawled our way back into it.” Klaassen says, “These girls love excitement and they like drama a little bit.”
The Panthers move to 4-13 overall. Harlan is 11-6.
