Centennial girls rebound from loss with thumping of Huskies

Ankeny Centennial’s Cleao Murray applies full-court pressure during Friday’s game against visiting Des Moines Hoover. The Jaguars held Hoover scoreless in the first quarter en route to a 76-15 victory. (Photo by Drue Wolfe)

The Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball team pitched a shutout during the first quarter of Friday’s game against visiting Des Moines Hoover.

The eighth-ranked Jaguars raced out to a 23-0 lead at the end of the opening period. They built a 41-6 advantage at halftime and then cruised to a 76-15 victory over the Huskies.

Centennial coach Scott DeJong praised the teamwork of his players.

“We had 26 assists on 29 baskets, so that’s really good,” he said.

**Ankeny Centennial’s Lizzie Strom goes up for a shot during Friday’s game. (Photo by Drue Wolfe)**

Meg Burns led the Jaguars’ balanced attack with 12 points. She made two of the team’s seven 3-point goals.

Jenny Hagg scored 11 points, while Jackie Pippett chipped in 10. Makenna Clark and Elle Street each added seven.

Centennial, which bounced back from Tuesday’s loss at No. 5 Southeast Polk, improved to 2-1 on the season. The Huskies (0-4) were held to fewer than 20 points for the third straight game.

The Jaguars will play at No. 12 Valley (1-3) on Tuesday before traveling to No. 4 Johnston (3-1) on Friday for their CIML Central Conference opener.