As a defensive lineman on the Ankeny football team, Braden Simonsen did a lot of the dirty work in the trenches to help the Hawks to the Class 4A state title.
On Friday, Simonsen showed that he can do the dirty work on the basketball court, too.
The junior post player stepped in front of Mason City’s Cory Miner and drew a charging foul with 2 seconds left to seal Ankeny’s 66-62 road victory to open the season.
“Braden has done that over his career,” said Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson. “He did that a lot last year, and he’s really good at it. He made a lot of big plays tonight, and he led us in scoring. He rebounded tough and played like a veteran guy. I enjoyed watching him lead our team.”
Mason City trailed, 64-62, when Miner drove to the basket from the right wing. He banked in a shot that would have tied the game as he collided into Simonsen.
Miner then drew a technical foul.
“I had a feeling Miner was going to take the last shot,” said Simonsen. “He had been driving all night, so when I saw him starting to drive again I knew I had to get in the lane to draw the charge.”
Simonsen scored 14 points to lead three Ankeny players in double figures. Brayden Drea made 4-of-7 3-point goals and had 13 points, and JJ Kohl added 10.
Drea and Kohl, a pair of sophomores, were both making their varsity debuts.
“We have some guys back from last year, but they may have to play some different positions,” Carlson said. “We still have to figure out what is our best group of guys. It will take some time for sure.”
Miner led Mason City (1-2) with 19 points. He was the only Mohawk in double figures.
Ankeny held a 26-25 halftime lead. The Hawks built a 50-44 advantage after three quarters, but Mason City then rallied to take the lead with about 4 minutes left.
That set the stage for a dramatic finish.
“It was a very close game,” Carlson said. “We definitely were very fortunate to win, but I thought the guys played really hard. It’s just tough when you haven’t had a ton of practice time. But it was just fun to have a chance to play.
“It was game one, and we’ll just keep building from here,” he added.
Ankeny will play at Pella on Tuesday.
