What we learned from Ames' 56-46 upset victory over 4A No. 8 Cedar Falls
The Ames boys basketball team showed it could hang with the best teams in Class 4A Friday after upsetting No. 8 Cedar Falls, 56-46.
Ames showed the rest of the state it has enough talent and teamwork to defend its state championship with a dominant defensive performance against one of the best offensive teams in the state. The Little Cyclones held the Tigers to nearly 11 points below their season scoring average in winning their ninth straight to improve to 11-4 on the season.
"It was a fun game," Ames senior forward Lucas Lueth said. "They score a lot of points on that side of the state...(but) we play defense."
Cedar Falls fell to 10-4 on the season. Here is what we learned from the impressive Ames victory.
Lucas Lueth leads tremendous Little Cyclone defensive effort
Cedar Falls was coming off a huge offensive night in an 84-78 victory over Iowa City Liberty three nights ago.
Ames nearly held the Tigers to half that total. The Little Cyclones held the Tigers' post tandem of Dallas Bear and Cade Courbat, both standing at 6-foot-8, to a combined 21 points. They entered the game averaging 32.6.
"I think we felt pretty good about the pace of the game," said Ames head coach Vance Downs. "The big thing was for us not to give them any points in transition. I don't think they got any points in transition tonight."
More:Lucas Lueth has his eyes fixed on state. How his leadership is molding Ames into a contender
Lueth was the star of the night for Ames defensively. The versatile 6-6 wingman is an elite perimeter defender, but he showed his amazing versatility by holding Bear, who was averaging 20.6 points and coming off a 38-point night against Liberty, to just 9 points.
"Lucas Lueth is one of the best big wing defenders I've had in the last 20 years," Downs said. "I thought his effort tonight, along with his teammates' (performance), was really impressive."
Lueth made it his mission to hold Bear in check.
"Bear was my guy," Lueth said. "I had to stay with him. He just came off a 38-point game, so I couldn't help off much."
Lueth also had a big game offensively, finishing with 17 points.
The rest of the defense was also on point Friday.
Frank Keller, the other 6-6 Ames forward in the starting lineup, held Courbat to 9 points. Keller also provided a big early spark for Ames on offense, finishing with 11 points.
"We played against a really good team with really good scorers," Keller said. "I just came out, played hard and played aggressive to the rim."
Jalen Wynter continues offensive surge
Lueth and Keller carried most of the load in the first half for Ames offensively.
In the second half, it was the backcourt duo of Jalen Wynter and Jamison Poe who did most of the damage. They combined for 28 points on the night and 20 of those came over the final two quarters.
Wynter was especially tough down the stretch. After hitting the game-winning shot in a 49-47 victory over Des Moines Lincoln last Tuesday, Wynter went for a game-high 20 points against Cedar Falls.
"That (game-winner) gave me a little confidence," Wynter said.
More:How Jalen Wynter has become an offensive force for the Ames boys basketball team
Wynter scored 13 points in the fourth quarter. He went a perfect 6-of-6 at the line over the final 20.8 seconds to ice the game.
"I knew had to come up for my team at the end of the game," Wynter said. "At the end of the game we needed free throws, so I wanted the ball."
Poe finished the night with 8 points. Graham Beckman led Cedar Falls in scoring with 12 points.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Smothering defense leads Ames boys past 4A No. 8 Cedar Falls, 56-46
