With the Class 4A postseason pairings to be determined soon, the Ankeny boys’ basketball team needs every victory it can get.
Coming off a pair of losses to ranked opponents, the Hawks moved back to the .500 mark with a 53-42 win at Des Moines Roosevelt in a non-conference game on Tuesday. They evened their overall mark at 7-7.
“We were solid defensively, and we finally got some things going late in the game with some 3-pointers,” said Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson. “It always feels good to win, and it’s a big win for us in terms of our substate seeding.”
Ankeny and Roosevelt (3-7) have both been placed in Substate No. 8 by the Iowa High School Athletic Association. Tuesday’s win keeps the Hawks in contention for a No. 2 or 3 seed in the bracket behind second-ranked Waukee (9-1), which will likely be the No. 1 seed.
Ankeny trailed at halftime, 22-21, but took a 32-28 lead after three quarters. The Hawks then erupted for 21 points in the final period to pull away.
“It was a tight game,” Carlson said. “We were still down late in the third quarter, and we were just kind of hanging on for awhile. But it was a good overall team effort.
“It was nice to see our guys fight. We haven’t had much success at Roosevelt since I’ve been here, so I was really proud of the guys,” he added.
JJ Kohl scored 12 points to lead Ankeny. Ryan Crandall and Brayden Drea each added 11.
Karsen Wehde made a pair of late 3-pointers to help seal the victory.
“That was a big moment for him,” Carlson said of Wehde. “It should be big for his confidence.”
The Hawks will travel to Marshalltown on Friday for a CIML Iowa Conference game against the Bobcats (3-11), who will be looking to avenge a 49-44 loss at Ankeny on Jan. 8.
