AMES 45, ANKENY 40

Ames' second game with Ankeny was much like the first, but the reward

was greater this time.

Junior center Kionna Kellogg sank four clutch free throws in the final

1:36 to help fourth-ranked Ames squeeze out a 45-40 victory over No. 5

Ankeny on Wednesday night in the first round of the Class 4A tournament.

Ames won in the state tournament for just the second time and will take

a 22-2 record against top-ranked Linn-Mar in a semifinal game at 1:30 p.m.

Friday. The Little Cyclones' only other state tourney win came in a

first-round six-on-six game against Aurelia in 1978.

Ankeny and Ames battled to the end in their regular-season meeting,

Ames winning that one 39-37. Wednesday night's matchup was no different.

Once Ankeny clawed back from an early seven-point deficit, no more than

four points separated the two until the end.

Kellogg led Ames with 12 points and 10 rebounds. University of Iowa

recruit Trisha Nesbitt added 10 points and five assists and Cheyanne

Pritchard scored nine points on three 3-pointers.

Kiara Bomben and Rheanna Egli led Ankeny with nine points each.

Mackenzie Misel and Krista Pettepier each scored seven. Ankeny finished the

season 18-6.

Neither team scored in the fourth quarter until Misel hit a 3-pointer

to give Ankeny a 40-39 lead with 1:49 left. Kellogg sank two free throws 13

seconds later to give the lead back to Ames and the Little Cyclones held it

the rest of the way.

Ellen Hansen of Ames made a free throw to make it 42-40, and after

Ankeny missed twice at the line, Kellogg dropped in two more foul shots to

stretch the lead to four with 23.1 seconds remaining. Taylor Sloter hit a

free throw for Ames to finish the scoring.