A few weeks ago, the Ankeny football team defeated Valley in the Class 5A semifinals to earn the right to play for a state championship.
On Tuesday, the Hawks waged another epic battle against their CIML rival–this time on the basketball court.
Ryan Crandall, who had a team-high 6.5 tackles in Ankeny’s win over the Tigers at the UNI-Dome, scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Hawks to a 61-55 victory on their home court. Valley lost despite a game-high 27 points from Eli Raridon, the all-state tight end who is headed to Notre Dame.
“It was the same way in football,” Crandall said. “It’s hard to stop (Raridon), but I think Braden (Simonsen) and JJ (Kohl) did a good job down there. It feels good to win, especially against Valley.”
Ankeny (1-1) rebounded from a season-opening loss at Ames on Friday. The Tigers (2-1) suffered their first loss after topping Waukee Northwest and Des Moines North in their first two games.
The Hawks defeated Valley for only the second time under coach Brandt Carlson.
“They’re a great team and a great program overall,” Carlson said. “I feel good for our guys. It was a hard-fought win, and we’ve got some tough guys on our side.”
Ankeny got off to a great start, using a 16-0 run in the first quarter to build a 23-7 lead. The Hawks had five 3-pointers in the opening period, including two apiece by Crandall and Carson Johnson.
Crandall had scored just six points in the loss to Ames.
“Ames has got a really good defense,” Crandall said. “I’m not saying Valley’s defense is bad, but there were just more openings. And we hit a bunch of 3s tonight, and that always helps.”
The Hawks scored just two baskets in the second quarter, however, as Valley closed the gap to 32-22 at halftime. Raridon had 15 points in the first half.
“Valley is good, and that zone is tough to break,” Carlson said. “Our guys panicked a little bit. I think when you shoot the ball really well early on you think it’s going to continue to happen, so we got a little too focused on shooting the 3. But I’m proud of the guys. They fought hard, and we’ve got some great senior leaders.”
After Crandall made a jumper to open the third quarter, Valley answered with a 14-0 run to take a 36-34 lead. Mason Morrow hit a 3-pointer to tie the score, then passed to Raridon for an emphatic dunk that put the Tigers ahead with 4 minutes 36 seconds left in the period.
Ankeny appeared to be on its heels, but the Hawks responded with a basket by Kohl 18 seconds later to tie the game at 36-36. Johnson later converted a spectacular 3-point play with 1:39 remaining to cap a 10-0 run that gave Ankeny a 44-36 lead after three quarters.
“I finally settled in a little bit,” said Johnson, who went scoreless in the game at Ames after his grandfather died earlier in the week. “It just felt good to be back out here again.”
Johnson made a 3-pointer with 4:48 left to extend the Hawks’ lead to 51-40, but Valley refused to go away. The Tigers went on an 8-0 run over the next 70 seconds and pulled within 51-48 on a 3-point play by Raridon.
Ankeny badly needed a basket and got one when Johnson fed Lio Aguirre for a layup with 2:58 to go. Aguirre finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Valley could get no closer than four points the rest of the way. The Hawks led, 59-55, when Aguirre missed two free throws with 17 seconds left.
The Tigers had a chance to make it a one-possession game, but freshman guard Curtis Stinson Jr. was called for traveling on the ensuing possession. Stinson Jr., who used to live in Ankeny, finished with seven points.
“I’ve known Stinson for awhile,” said Johnson, who had 16 points, four assists and four steals in the win. “He’s a good player, and it’s fun to go up against him.”
Kohl added seven points and three blocks for the Hawks, who connected on 19-of-24 free throws.
“We were much better at the line than we were at Ames, and our rebounding was still consistent,” Carlson said.
Ankeny will host a CIML Iowa Conference game against Marshalltown (2-1) on Friday. The Bobcats posted a 56-49 win at Des Moines Roosevelt on Tuesday.
“This (win) is going to give us a lot of confidence going into the rest of the season,” Johnson said.
