Ames just too much for Cedar Rapids Kennedy in boys’ state basketball semifinals

DES MOINES — Welp, so much for that all-Cedar Rapids final in Class 4A.

Ames was just too long, too athletic, too good in Thursday night’s state tournament semifinals, taking care of Cedar Rapids Kennedy for a second time this season, 62-43, at Wells Fargo Arena.

Kennedy and Cedar Rapids Prairie both made it to state, were in opposite brackets and won their Wednesday quarterfinals, setting up the possibility they would meet for a championship. Prairie lost in overtime to Johnston in a semifinal late Thursday.

That dream died here, though, thanks to the top-seeded Little Cyclones, who aren’t exactly little. They go 6-foot-7, 6-5, 6-4 and 6-4, with the smallest starter 6-2 point guard Tamin Lipsey.

That would be Iowa State signee Tamin Lipsey. He sets the tone on both ends of the floor, his strong body allowing him to get to the cup offensively and his incredibly quick hands and anticipation a major disruption defensively.

He had 15 points, five assists and three steals. Trevion LaBeaux finished 9 of 11 from the field for a game-high 18 points as Ames dominated on interior.

“It all starts on the defensive end for us,” said Lipsey, who had 15 points, five assists and three steals. “It turns into offense, which turns into wins.”

» Photos: Cedar Rapids Kennedy vs. Ames in the Class 4A state semifinals

“The game plan going into it was just to shut down their main guy Lipsey, and there’s only so much you can do with a Big 12 player. I thought we did our best,” said Jackson Bowman, who led Kennedy with 13 points. “They’re definitely really long as a team and super fast. I think the biggest thing is their transition from defense into offense. They can beat any team down the court, and that’s really good for them.”

Ames won at Kennedy in the second game of the season for both teams, 62-46. The Cougars actually led by two at halftime in early December, with a 23-2 third-quarter run allowing the Little Cyclones to roll.

This time, Ames led from the 5-4 mark on, increasing its lead as things wore on. Kennedy was one of the highest-scoring teams this season in 4A, coming into this game averaging 68.8 points, but struggled to get any consistent offense going.

The Cougars (21-4) shot just 35 percent from the field.

“We thought we could spread them out and kind of get downhill and create some shots,” said Kennedy Coach Jon McKowen. “They blocked a lot of 3-point shots in the first half. We just struggled against that length with our flow offensively. I thought the first 12 minutes of the game, we played sideways with it, a little tentative. That’s just not how we play.”

Ames is 22-3, with two of its losses coming late in the regular season when Lipsey sat out nursing a hamstring injury. The other loss came to a team from the St. Louis area.

“(Lipsey) is a great player, obviously,” said Kennedy’s Kenzie Reed, who had 12 points and four assists in a head-to-head matchup. “But I love to compete. I loved that challenge. It was just fun.”

Reed and Colby Dolphin were Kennedy’s leading scorers this season and both return, as do important bench players Cyrus Courtney and Carter Newhouse. Kennedy’s sophomore team lost just once, in the season finale.

In other words, you haven’t heard the last of the Cougars.

“The seniors really set the standard,” McKowen said. “Now it’s the sophomores that were up here, the juniors that were up here and the couple freshmen who traveled with us, too. They got to learn. That’s what a good program looks like. We got to play against the best teams in the state, it’s a springboard, you’re not starting with nothing. We like where we’re at.

“But, man, that was a fun season we just had.”

AT DES MOINES

CEDAR RAPIDS KENNEDY (43): Kenzie Reed 5-12 0-0 12, Carson Blietz 2-6 0-0 4, Colby Dolphin 2-10 0-0 5, Jackson Bowman 4-9 4-6 13, Craig Mills 2-4 0-0 4, Isaiah Morgan 0-0 0-0 0, Dkhai Pope 0-0 0-0 0, Tristan Steichen 0-0 0-0 0, Deven Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Carter Newhouse 1-1 0-0 2, Gannon Hall 0-0 0-0 0, Cyrus Courtney 1-4 0-1 3, Micah Jauhiainen 0-2 0-0 0, Carson Lang 0-0 0-0 0, Brenden Linde 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-48 4-7 43.

AMES (62): Tamin Lipsey 5-11 5-7 15, Lucas Lueth 4-7 4-5 12, Trevion LaBeaux 9-11 0-0 18, Devin Settle 1-1 0-0 2, Corey Phillips 2-3 2-5 6, Noah Seibert 0-0 0-0 0, Tasean Brooks 0-0 0-0 0, Jack Wynter 3-6 0-0 9, Jamison Poe 0-0 0-0 0, Onur Onal 0-0 0-0 0, Trey Nesbitt 0-0 0-0 0, Braydon Beeiner 0-0 0-0 0, Cameron Strawhacker 0-0 0-0 0, Ring Yak 0-0 0-0 0, Bennett Anderson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-40 11-17 62.

Halftime - Ames 31, Kennedy 18. 3-point goals - Kennedy 5-20 (Reed 2-5, Blietz 0-4, Dolphin 1-4, Bowman 1-2, Courtney 1-3, Jauhiainen 0-2), Ames 3-11 (Lipsey 0-2, Lueth 0-2, Phillips 0-1, Wynter 3-6). Rebounds - Kennedy 17 (Dolphin, Bowman, Courtney 3), Ames 36 (LaBeaux, Phillips 7). Total fouls - Kennedy 13, Ames 13. Fouled out - LaBeaux. Assists - Kennedy 7 (Reed 4), Ames 14 (Lipsey 5). Turnovers - Kennedy 11, Ames 18.

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