MHS junior Adam Boone rallied from a first-set loss for a three-set victory in No. 6 singles, but it only prolonged Marshalltown’s hope in an eventual 8-3 loss to rival Ames on a blustery Thursday at the Marshalltown Court Complex.

Boone’s three-set victory was the only Bobcat win in singles, and it left the window open for Marshalltown to potentially steal the meet with a doubles sweep.

It’s happened before, head coach James Christensen said, and it could very well have happened again.

“I think you can look at all the close matches and only coming away with one of those just speaks to the way we’re handling pressure points,” Christensen said. “That starts with me, constructing practice in a way where we’re putting them in a place to practice those points, get in that mindset that every point really matters. We’ll do a better job of that moving forward.”

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - Marshalltown sophomore Kyle Smith puts away a point at the net during the No. 4 doubles match at Thursday’s dual meet with Ames at the Marshalltown Court Complex. Smith and Will Swartz won their match over Nathan Lee and Quin O’Bryan, 7-5, 6-1.

Thursday’s Iowa Alliance Conference clash provided plenty of opportunity. Ames won the first set in five out of six singles matches, and the Little Cyclones took two of three third-set super-tiebreakers.

After Boone’s singles win, a 5-7, 6-3, (10-8) triumph over Jonas Bernard, gave the Bobcats a breath of life at the break, Marshalltown won four of five first sets in doubles play. Ames, however, claimed both third-set super-tiebreakers and ended the contest before the last two doubles matches were completed.

“I do like the way that we bounced back after that tough singles performance,” Christensen said. “We really gave them a scare in doubles, coming back and winning at Nos. 4 and 5 in pretty good fashion. That’s something we can use as a positive moving forward.

“Just being able to go into doubles with that chance of winning really kept our focus strong. Credit Boone for coming back from losing a tough tie-breaker in the first set to a really dominant second set and holding on for that victory in his first singles match as a varsity player. That’s pretty huge against Ames.”

The Bobcats hoped Boone’s No. 3 doubles match would have gotten a chance to be the deciding dual, but Ames scored a three-set victory at No. 1 to give the Little Cyclones (1-0, 1-0) the deciding tally.

MHS got quick doubles wins from the No. 4 pairing of Kyle Smith and Will Swartz, beating Nathan Lee and Quin O’Bryan 7-5, 6-1, and the No. 5 team of Tayven Dutton and Isaac Seberger, who swept Sunney Que and Wyatt Jones, 6-2, 6-2.

Once down 5-0 through singles play, the Bobcats had quickly pulled within 5-3 with two first-set wins already on the board. Marshalltown’s No. 1 doubles team of Isaac Benscoter and Jacob Thiessen smothered Tharun Raju and Anson Bernard in a 6-2 opening set, but the Ames duo countered to put the meet away, winning 6-1 and 10-7.

Marshalltown’s No. 2 doubles team of Dale Greene and Carson Snyder suffered a 6-4, 6-3 loss to Anirudh Manimaran and Oliver Fields shortly thereafter.

Boone and Jacob Christen, at No. 3 doubles, were the last ones on the court, and their 3-6, 6-4, (11-9) loss to Akshay Sarda and Jonas Bernard still got the type of crowd that a deciding last match might have warranted.

“We definitely started a little flat and lost a lot of first sets in singles, and it’s tough to battle back from that in any fashion,” Christensen said. “Our guys battled.”

The Bobcats won’t get to practice those high-impact points before journeying to face Cedar Rapids Jefferson today for an 11 a.m. dual in Cedar Rapids.

Ames 8, Marshalltown 3

SINGLES

Tharun Raju (A) def. Isaac Benscoter, 6-1, 6-2

Anson Bernard (A) def. Jacob Thiessen, 6-3, 3-6, (10-7)

Anirudh Manimaran (A) def. Dale Greene, 3-6, 6-4, (11-9)

Oliver Fields (A) def. Carson Snyder, 6-4, 6-2

Akshay Sarda (A) def. Jacob Christen, 6-4, 6-4

Adam Boone (MHS) def. Jonas Bernard, 5-7, 6-3, (10-8)

DOUBLES

Raju and A. Bernard (A) def. Benscoter and Thiessen, 2-6, 6-1, (10-7)

Manimaran and Fields (A) def. Greene and Snyder, 6-4, 6-3

Sarda and Bernard (A) def. Christen and Boone, 3-6, 6-4, (11-9)

Kyle Smith and Will Swartz (MHS) def. Nathan Lee and Quin O’Bryan, 7-5, 6-1

Tayven Dutton and Isaac Seberger (MHS) def. Sunney Que and Wyatt Jones, 6-2, 6-2