For the first 20 minutes of Tuesday’s game at Ames, the Ankeny Centennial boys’ basketball team hung around with the seventh-ranked squad in Class 4A.
The Jaguars were in a position to possibly pull off an upset with a strong finish, trailing by just 28-22 midway through the third quarter.
But then the Little Cyclones cranked up the defensive pressure and pulled away for a 57-29 victory, outscoring Centennial by a 29-7 margin over the final 12 minutes.
“When you’re playing one of the best defensive teams in the state, you’ve got to be able to hit some shots,” said Fontana, whose team connected on just 23.4 percent of its attempts from the field (11-of-47). “We had some open looks, but we just couldn’t knock them down.”
Ames (19-2) was coming off a 72-33 win at Ottumwa on Monday. The Little Cyclones extended their winning streak to eight games.
Ames hasn’t lost since dropping a 52-51 decision to No. 1 Cedar Falls on Jan. 18.
On Tuesday, the Little Cyclones held a 24-17 advantage at halftime. They then closed the third quarter with an 11-1 run to extend the margin to 39-23.
The final period didn’t get much better for Centennial, which dropped to 4-15 on the season.
“Ames can really make it tough to score in the lane,” Fontana said. “Their guards can put a lot of pressure on you, and then they have two 6-foot-8 guys who are good rim protectors. That’s why you’ve got to hit your open shots when you have them.”
Sean Tunks led the Jaguars with 11 points. Cabryn Klingner and Brody Prill each added eight.
Klingner also grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Prill and Tunks each had two assists, while Owen Liechti had a pair of steals and a block.
Centennial will close out the regular season on Thursday with a CIML Conference game against visiting Southeast Polk. The Jaguars will try to sweep the season series after posting a 52-49 win at Southeast Polk on Feb. 7.
The Rams are 1-14 in the league and 7-14 overall, but are coming off back-to-back victories over Des Moines East and Des Moines Lincoln.
“Hopefully, our guys realize the opportunity they have in front of them Thursday night and then going up to Sioux City on Monday,” Fontana said. “It’s about playing for pride and playing for each other.”
Centennial will begin postseason play on Monday with a Class 4A substate quarterfinal at Sioux City North (9-11).
