Top ranked Ames got off to a sluggish start but the Little Cyclones pulled away in the second half for a 57-44 win over Cedar Rapids Washington in a class 4A quarterfinal. Harrison Barnes had 29 points and nine rebounds to pace Ames. The Little Cyclones are a heavy favorite to win a second straight title but Barnes says their goal is to advance to the next round.
Barnes says they just try to focus in on each game and each day, because if you lose, you don’t advance.
Washington coach Brad Metzger says the Warriors tried to control the tempo but score enough to give themselves a chance. He says it’s hard to win a game in the 40’s with them and they tried to manage getting the most out of their possessions while stopping them on defense. Metzger says they did a good job, but there were places where they physically were not able to stop them.
Other 4A quarterfinal round scores.
Sioux City East 51, Cedar Rapids Jefferson 43; Linn-Mar beat Clinton 67-60; Southeast Polk outlasted West Des Moines Dowling in overtime 48-41.
Davenport Assumption opened the game by outscoring Dallas Center-Grimes 10-2 and opened the third quarter with a 9-0 run as the top ranked Knights beat the Mustangs 57-40 in a class 3A quarterfinal.
Assumption’s Joe Daniel says they like to come out and set the tone and be aggressive. He says they got a little comfortable for awhile and they can’t afford to do that in the tourney. Daniel finished with 14 points