DES MOINES - The best player in Iowa history? The best team in Iowa history? You make the call. Make no mistake, Harrison Barnes is a great basketball player. You don't get handed the Morgan Wootten Award as the nation's top prep, as he did Wednesday, without being special. And he was unstoppable at times in the second half as his team eased to a 57-44 Class 4A state tournament quarterfinal win over Cedar Rapids Washington at Wells Fargo Arena. But without trying to sound too homerish here, if Ames is the best team in state history, Washington must be in the top 25 or so. 'They came out with a lot of energy and matched our intensity,' complimented Barnes, the North Carolina signee. 'That's something we don't see as much in some of our games.' In fact, this was just a 22-18 game at halftime, as Washington (14-9) milked clock, limited possessions and hung around. That's when the 6-foot-8 Barnes took over, scoring 22 of his game-high 29 points in the final half and proving impossible to defend when he really wanted to turn it on. With a starting lineup of 6-8, 6-8, 6-7 and 6-4, Ames (25-0), which has won 51 straight, pounded Washington on the boards, particularly offensively, where they held a 14-4 edge. Barnes had seven of those rebounds. 'He's great,' said Wash's Wes Washpun, who guarded Barnes man-to-man much of the game despite giving up seven inches in height. 'But I was excited for the opportunity to guard him.' 'They put pressure on you to score,' said Washington Coach Brad Metzger. 'That's one thing about them is they are so talented, you are going to have to keep scoring. It's very hard to win a game in the 40s with them. 'So we had to manage that fine line between getting the most out of our possessions and stopping them on defense. For the most part, I'd say we were successful. The places we weren't were places I don't think we could physically (match up).' Josh Oglesby showed off his silky smooth jumper, leading Washington with 15 points. Washpun added 11 and Evan Davis 10. Oglesby and Washpun return next season to what should be another good Wash team. 'A tough loss,' Oglesby said. 'But I'm really excited about next year.' 'I am excited about next season,' Washpun agreed. 'We're trying to get back here again. Hopefully we'll get a better draw.' Video Extras' Interviews with Barnes and Washpun