On Tuesday, February 6th, Harrison Barnes Gymnasium filled with spectators to watch the Senior Night matchup between the Ames High Little Cyclones’ and the Marshalltown Bobcats’ Varsity Boy’s Basketball teams.
The Little Cyclones’ previous contest, a gutsy 60-58 win over Dowling Catholic, was an enormous statement win and served as an accentuation of the hot streak the Little Cyclones have been on. On the flip side, the Bobcats came into this game with losses in 5 out of their last 7 matchups and were looking to make amends for their midseason slip.
The Little Cyclones started the game with four Seniors, along with Sophomore center Marach Dau. For three of the four seniors, this was their first time starting a varsity basketball game for the Little Cyclones.
“It felt great,” said Senior forward Cameron Strawhacker. “Especially with it being Senior Night, to grow up with these guys and to go to school with some of them since Kindergarten, it was just really special to see us get the start tonight.” — Senior forward Cameron Strawhacker
Senior guard Garang Kear added, “It felt good to start. Felt good to open the game. I got to show everyone my new handshake.”
Due to the Senior Night festivities and a Little Cyclones Girls blowout win just prior, the game had drawn an especially large crowd, even by Ames High standards. There was a heightened sense of excitement in the air, and the Seniors knew that.
“The energy was there tonight. It was electric,” said Kear. “We had to set the tone for everybody.”
The game began and Marshalltown jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, but Ames swiftly responded with a pair of Jamison Poe layups to even the score. The Bobcats answered with a Cory Smith 3-pointer to make the score 7-4. From there, the rest of the quarter belonged to Ames Senior guard Jack Wynter. Wynter poured in 12 points in the first, including three consecutive triples to give the Little Cyclones a 20-13 lead going into the second quarter.
“It was Senior Night tonight and I felt the energy so I made sure I was locked in and set the example for my teammates,” said Wynter.
The Little Cyclones came out hot in the second quarter. With a quick Marach Dau dunk and a Will Thomas layup, Ames held a 24-13 lead. Their defensive intensity, especially on the perimeter, really ramped up as well.
“We all knew we had to come into the second quarter aggressive,” said Junior guard Jamison Poe. “We kept that intensity up, so it all worked out.”
With the relentless defensive pressure from Ames guards Poe, Wynter, and Thomas, Marshalltown was only able to score five more points before the half, and Ames went into the break with a 32-18 lead.
The second half was all Ames. The third quarter saw the Little Cyclones doing a great job of getting to their spots and making the Bobcat defense pay. Junior G/F Manny Lueth hit a pair of threes in the third, and Jack Wynter continued his personal onslaught on the Bobcat defense. At the beginning of the fourth, Senior Cameron Strawhacker splashed a corner three-ball right in front of the Ames High student section and the entire crowd erupted, a moment that perfectly encapsulated the night.
The final score came out to be 64-25, with Ames High giving the Marshalltown Boys their biggest loss of the year, and their lowest point total since 2020. For Ames, Jack Wynter finished the game with 18 points, Will Thomas finished with 10, and Jamison Poe finished with 9. With the win, the Little Cyclones move to 13-5 on the year and remain undefeated in conference play.
