Falcons Take Top Prize At Cyclone Holiday Tournament

Elkhorn Valley entered the Cyclone Holiday Tournament expecting the very best out of every team they faced, and that is exactly what they got. 

"Coming after five days of break and coming into a tournament like this, it could have gone either way," said Falcon head coach Brendan Dittmer.

Fortunately for him and his Elkhorn Valley girls, it went their way both nights, including a 41-28 victory over a scrappy Ewing team in the championship game. The Falcons shot just 24 percent from the floor on the night but made 14 free throws - many of them late in the game - to put away the Tigers.

The Falcons were led by their super sophomore duo of Amber Miller and Hannah Ollendick. Miller finished with a team-high 15 points while pulling in five rebounds. Ollendick dropped in 12 points and added three steals on the night. Fellow sophomore Sierra Rystrom had a strong night under the glass, bringing down eight rebounds for Elkhorn Valley. 

Earlier in the night, the boys were unable to duplicate the success when they fell to Clearwater-Orchard in the consolation game of the boys bracket. 

Both teams shot well from the floor, with the Cyclones hitting 45 percent of their shots and the Falcons hitting on 40 percent of theirs, but it was Clearwater-Orchard who was able to pull away late thanks to a 21-point fourth quarter for a 65-54 victory. 

Austin Miller hit 57 percent of his shots for a game-high 20 points while Kalen Dittrich was able to finish with 17 points on 64 percent shooting. Dittrich also proved to be a force in the middle, leading the Falcons with seven rebounds and taking away four steals.