After scoring just three points in the first half - right on pace for his average - Chrouser simply went beserk in the final two quarters, nailing seven three-pointers and scoring 25 points the rest of the way to lead the No. 6-ranked (Class 2-A) Cardinals to a stunning 76-62 come-from-behind win over the No. 3-ranked (3-A) Cyclones.
The victory rally, which started with Harlan leading 47-30 in the third quarter, included a frantic 42-12 spurt that lifted the Cardinals to their first outright conference title since 1971. Clarinda finished its regular season with a 17-1 Hawkeye 10 record, including two wins over the Cyclones, and a 19-2 mark overall.
HCHS, which had won or shared the last four H-10 titles, fell to 17-3 overall and 15-2 in league play with one regular season game remaining.
"Give Clarinda credit. They definitely earned their championship," said HCHS head coach Mitch Osborn afterward. "It's pretty disappointing, but we've got to bounce back, because at tournament time it's one and done. With a good team like (Clarinda), you've got to finish them off. Half a game won't get it done."
At halftime, it looked like the Cyclones were well on their way to another convincing home win. HCHS senior forward Greg Applegate simply dominated the paint in the first 16 minutes, scoring 23 of his game-high 35 points on a variety of tough, agile inside moves and fastbreak finishes.
The Cyclones led 43-28 at intermission and quickly extended the lead to 17 points early in the third quarter. Then the roof caved in.
As Harlan proceeded to commit a healthy share of its 11 turnovers on the night, Clarinda capitalized from the outside to finish the quarter on a 17-1 run. Chrouser nailed three treys in the final 3:45 of the period and Scott Brown added two more.
Clarinda point guard Andrew Stimson, who directed the Cardinal attack and played a better brand of defense on Applegate after a halftime switch, tied the game on a three-point play early in the fourth. HCHS would take the lead back three more times, the final time at 57-56 on a Neil Gross three, but to no avail.
Backing up a little further each time he got the ball, and torching the Cyclones whether they played man-to-man or zone, Chrouser buried four straight treys in a matter of one minute, 50 seconds to put Clarinda up 68-59. He then added an inside basket for good measure before an Anthony Davis slam dunk put the exclamation point on the 42-12 run with less than two minutes to play.
"We knew they were going to make a run, we just didn't know it was going to be that prolonged of a run," Osborn said.
"We came out on (Chrouser) after he hit three, and he hit a couple of them when Neil Gross (6-foot-6) was on him. I think one time Neil might have fouled him in the corner! It was just one of those nights. He could have closed his eyes and I think it would have went in."
While Clarinda knocked down 9-of-13 three-pointers in the second half and 12-of-25 for the game, HCHS struggled through an uncharacteristic cold night, making just 3-of-16 treys, including none from the backcourt players. A five-point third quarter was the most unsettling statistic to Osborn.
"The turnovers were just atrocious in the third quarter. That was a back breaker," he said. "We're up 15 at the half, we're in control and we came out so soft and tentative in the second half instead of attacking. We did not push the ball as hard, we didn't go to the offensive glass . . . we stood around and watched.
"You've got to come out with a killer instinct, and we have been very good about coming out in the third quarter and really that has been our quarter . . . You hate to learn lessons like this, but we did."
Besides Applegate, Gross was the only other Cyclone in double figures with 12 points. HCHS shot 41 percent from the field as a team, but outside of Applegate and Gross made only 5-of-27 shots. Applegate and Gross also combined for 19 of the team's 28 rebounds while Kevin Osborn had eight assists.
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Clarinda 9 19 19 29 76
Cyclone Points: Greg Applegate 35, Neil Gross 12, A.J. Arkfeld 7, Adam Leinen 2, Kevin Osborn 2, Trent Svendsen 2, Joel White 2.
Rebounds: (28) Applegate 10, Gross 9, A. Leinen 3, Osborn 3.
Assists: (16) Osborn 8, Arkfeld 4.
Steals: (5) Applegate 2, Gross 2.
Blocked shots: (2) Applegate 2.
Clarinda Leading Scorers: James Chrouser 28, Andrew Stimson 17, Anthony Davis 11. Rebounds: 27.
FGs: HCHS 23-56 (41%), Clarinda 27-58 (46.6%). 3's: HCHS 3-16 (Gross 2-3, Applegate 1-1), Clarinda 12-25. FTs: HCHS 13-18, Clarinda 10-12. Turnovers: HCHS 11, Clarinda 9. Fouls: HCHS 16, Clarinda 16.
