There was no chance the Ankeny Centennial boys’ basketball team was going to overlook Des Moines East in Tuesday’s non-conference game.
The host Scarlets entered the contest with an unimpressive 3-9 record, but they snapped an eight-game losing skid with a 67-62 win over Fort Dodge on Saturday and then followed with a 72-57 victory over Des Moines North on Monday.
“They’ve got a lot of good young talent,” Centennial coach Bob Fontana said of the Scarlets. “They’re athletic and quick, and they played only one senior. They have improved, so that got our guys’ attention.”
Centennial didn’t let the Scarlets extend their winning streak. The Jaguars jumped out to a 21-6 lead in the first quarter and rolled to a 67-44 victory, extending their own winning streak to four games.
“We got off to a great start,” Fontana said. “It was a good road win.”
Caden Kelling had 12 points, eight assists and four steals as Centennial improved to 7-6 on the season. Reece Robinson had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Chase Schutty contributed nine points and three boards. Chris Louis als had nine points, while Evan Bryan chipped in seven points and four rebounds.
“Chris and Evan both gave us a nice effort off the bench,” Fontana said. “And Luke Winkel had a real nice floor game at both ends of the court.”
The Jaguars will travel to Marshalltown on Friday for a CIML Iowa Conference game. The Bobcats (9-6) are led by Armonniey Thomas, who scored 17 points in a win at Des Moines North on Tuesday and became the school’s all-time leading scorer.
“There’s been a lot of great players come through there, especially years ago,” Fontana said. “For him to do that, that’s a big achievement.”
The two teams are currently battling for fourth place in the conference.
“Marshalltown’s a good team,” Fontana said. “Even in some losses they’ve played really well against some of the top teams. That’ll be a big challenge for us to go up there.”
