Tornadoes' big first half secures win in Lakes opener

STORM LAKE - Senior guard Slone Masters turned in 22 of her game high 30 points in the first half as 10th-ranked Storm Lake cruised through their Lakes Conference opener with Cherokee 79-58.

The Tornadoes opened the game on a roll, racing out to a 22-12 lead after one and a 47-25 lead at the half, before letting off the gas in the final two quarters. The Braves outscored Storm Lake 33-32 in the second half and forced a season-high 34 turnovers by the green and white, but it was too too little, too late after the dominant first-half display by the Tornadoes. .

"I thought we played well at times," said SL head coach Mike Wabeke. "We started off well, but after we got a 19-4 lead, I think we lost some of our intensity. I need to give Cherokee a lot of credit. They kept battling and made us work for everything. They caused us to turn the ball over, and they turned that into points. We need to work on our passing and inside shooting. Both the last couple of games have not been good."

Masters' effort was her strongest of the season as she was 9-17 from the field, 3-9 from deep, and 9-12 at the line en route her her season-high 30 points. The senior added eight rebounds, eight steals, five assists, and two blocks.

Cassie Meylor followed with 22 points on 10-16 shooting to go along with six rebounds and two blocks. Katie Blum had her highest-scoring night of the year with 16, while adding four rebounds and three steals. Morgan VanDerSloot also turned in an impressive all-around performance with four points, 12 rebounds, eight steals, and six assists.

As a team, Storm Lake hit 26-of-60 (43.4%) from the field, 24-of-41 (59%) at the line and 3-of-13 (23%) from beyond the arc. The Tornadoes outrebounded Cherokee 40-37.

Storm Lake (2-1) hits the road for the first time this season tonight as they visit Denison-Schleswig. The Monarchs won the only meeting between the teams last year, 44-40.