HARLAN — The Creston girls basketball team may have lost its regular season finale at Harlan 66-35 on Friday, but head coach Larry McNutt believes his team gained a lot of confidence from the way it played against the Class 4A No. 6-ranked Cyclones.

The Panthers trailed by just 11 at the halftime break, and had it not been for a pair of open 3-pointers for the Cyclones, it could have been a much closer game at halftime.

“I think it just goes to show them that they can play with the best of teams,” McNutt said. “If you can play with Harlan for a half, you can play with just about anybody, because Harlan’s one of the best teams in the state.”