Des Moines — After racing out to an 11-8 lead after one quarter Burlington saw top-seeded Ames outscore them by 23 over three quarters, defeating the Greyhounds 60-40 yesterday in a Class 4A Quarterfinal.
Ames advances to today’s semifinal round, where the Little Cyclones will meet fourth-seed Cedar Rapids Kennedy.
Iowa State recruit Tamin Lipsey fueled the comeback effort for Ames, scoring a game-high 16 points, including 10 straight in a 12-point run for the Little Cyclones in the second quarter.
Corey Phillips added 11 for Ames, while Trevion LaBeaux chipped in with 10.
With the game still in reach at half, Ames took full control with a 24-10 third quarter run to essentially end the game.
A team that shot just 28% from three in the regular season all of a sudden couldn’t miss from three.
“Our goal was to try to protect the paint. Statistically from 3, they weren’t shooting lights-out or anything. We had some sagging man-to-man stuff going on. It was disruptive enough it was 11-8 in the first quarter.” said head coach Caleb Akey of his team’s defensive game plan.
Jackson Carlson led Burlington with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while Amarion Davis chipped in with 11.
Burlington closes their season 17-8, winners of 15 of their last 18 games including two program shifting tournament trail wins over Iowa City West and Pleasant Valley.
Ames is now 21-3.