YODER – The Southeast Cyclones defended their home floor Saturday to win their Senior Night over Glenrock, 68-59, snagging the second seed for the regional tournament.

“It was game time, we had business to finish,” Southeast senior Kaden Malm said of Senior Night. “It’ll probably hit me afterwards and it’s definitely hard to believe that it is my senior night, but we had a game to win and that was the biggest thing tonight.”

The Cyclones came out hot, putting up 15 points in the first quarter to Glenrock’s 13. By halftime, Southeast was up 33-26. The Herders came out after the break and outscored the Cyclones 16-14 to cut into the lead, but Southeast closed the door by scoring 21 points in the fourth to secure the nine-point win.

Hayden Anderson stood at the top of the scoring sheet, with 16 points, including nine from behind the arc. He also had three rebounds, a steal and a team-high five assists.

A trio of seniors rounded out the scorers in double-figures. Brady Fullmer notched 15 points, 11 of which came from the charity stripe, where he went 11-of-14, along with four boards and three steals. Kaden Malm chipped in 13 points, a board, a steal and an assist, while Sterling Werner accounted for 11 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Cade Herring notched seven points on the night, along with a rebound, two assists and a steal. Sawyer Anderson, Brant Fullmer and Bodie Herring all had two points apiece, while combining for seven rebounds and three assists.

Southeast shot 37 percent from the field and 33 percent from behind the arc. The Cyclones went to the charity stripe for 28 shots, knocking down 23 attempts. Glenrock shot 8-of-16 from the free-throw line.

“To come out and go into regionals on a win streak like this, especially with our two wins last week, is big for us,” Malm said. “Getting the two seed is definitely a confidence booster going into regionals.”

Pine Bluffs 75, Southeast 60

The Cyclones started the game slow against the second-ranked Hornets, falling behind 18-10 after the first frame. Pine Bluffs put up another 23 in the second, while limiting Southeast to 16 to put the halftime score at 41-26. Southeast started to chip away at the lead in the third, outscoring Pine Bluffs 18-14. The Cyclones had the score to within nine in the fourth, but the visitors closed the door with 20 points in the fourth.

“We didn’t get Pine, but that was definitely a moral victory for us,” Malm said of keeping the score close to the No. 2 team.

Brady Fullmer racked up 20 points in the loss, which he paired with five boards, an assist and two steals. Cade Herring chipped in 15 points of his own, including nine from behind the arc. He rounded out his stat line with a rebound and an assist.

Werner notched another double-double, tallying 12 points and 17 rebounds, three assists and a steal. Fellow senior Malm turned in seven points, four rebounds and three assists. Hayden and Sawyer Anderson combined for six points to round out the scoring. Hayden Anderson had eight rebounds and two assists. Bodie Herring filled his stat line with three rebounds and two assists.

Southeast shot better from the floor (45 percent) than Pine Bluffs (42 percent), but the Hornets knocked down eight three’s compared to the Cyclones’ three. Southeast dominated the boards with 40 rebounds to Pine Bluffs’ 25.

Southeast finished the regular season with a 10-11 record. The Cyclones’ 6-2 record against 2A Southeast teams puts them second in the standings heading into the 2A East Regional Tournament.

“Those tournaments early on, we had some rough spots, but getting the younger guys minutes was big for us and we really hit our niche in conference play,” Malm said. “With Pine as our only two losses, that’s been big. I’m looking forward to next week and I think all the guys are. We’re really at our best right now.”

Their first game of the regional tournament is slated for 8:30 p.m. on Friday at Eastern Wyoming College against Upton, the third-ranked team from the 2A Northeast.

“We don’t have a record right now. We are 0-0,” Malm said heading into the postseason. “Our biggest game is our next one.”