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Sports

Lady Cyclones Top Golden Tornadoes, 44-32

South Side withstands poor shooting first quarter to stay undefeated in conference.

A championship caliber team finds ways to win even when it plays poorly. On Tuesday night against Lawrence, that's what the Lady Cyclones did, winning a sloppy game, 44-32.

It was evident from the outset what type game it was going to be, when each team scored just three points in the first quarter, with South Side failing to score a single basket in the opening eight minutes.

After the game, coach Katie Dunn said she was less than pleased with the way her team opened the game.

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“They looked tired, and not as ready as they could be," Dunn said. "They just didn’t look ready. Maybe it was the excitement of the snow day, but I doubt it, it was just a sloppy game.”

Lawrence coach George Klein said he was also disappointed by how poorly his team shot. "The basket seemed to have lids on it for both teams in the beginning,” he said.

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After the sluggish first quarter, both teams picked up its game, and once again, it was the Lady Cyclones size that made the difference. The Golden Tornados — who their coach admitted, "live and die by the three," —  shot poorly from behind the arc, hitting on only four attempts all game, while South Side's Megan Lonergan, Lauren Lopresti and Christina Merrifield dominated in the paint, doubling Lawrence’s rebound total, 44-22.

 “Their size underneath allowed them to control the boards on both ends,” Klein said. “We don’t have a lot of size to compete with that.”

Aside from the usual suspects on the inside,  the Lady Cyclones received some good reserve play from two unlikely sources off the bench. In the second quarter, Allie Bannon — the smallest player on the court — took over at the point, twice driving the lane before kicking it out to corner shooters for two open looks.  She then stepped up on the defensive end, taking a charge – the first of the season for South Side — which sparked an 8-0 South Side run.

“Allie was big in the second,” Dunn said.  “That was the first offensive of the year for us, and we’ve been trying hard to get one. Anytime you can get one of those, it’s a huge spark for a team.”

The other unlikely contributor was Maggie McGowan, who grabbed eight rebounds and scored eight points off the bench. After the Golden Tornados clawed back to within five, McGowan put the team on her back, sparking a 9-0 run with consecutive offensive rebounds and put backs on South Side's ensuing two possessions.

 “Maggie McGowan was our biggest spark,” Dunn said. “She followed her shot and was attacking the boards which is exactly what we need her to do. She was in the right place at the right time.”

 The 5-0 Lady Cyclones will travel to Sewanhaka on Friday afternoon as they try to maintain their undefeated league record.

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