The Ankeny girls’ basketball team’s bid to win the CIML Iowa Conference title was hanging by a thread on Tuesday at Fort Dodge.
Trailing by 58-51 late in the fourth quarter, the 10th-ranked Hawkettes appeared to be dangerously close to falling out of championship contention.
But Ankeny then rallied for 10 consecutive points down the stretch, posting a dramatic 61-58 victory over the Dodgers.
“It was a great team win. It was a great comeback,” said Ankeny coach Dru McAnelly. “Good teams find ways to win in very difficult moments!”
The Hawkettes’ rally was sparked by guards Karsen Jacks and Savannah Gage.
“Karsen had a huge 3-pointer and a driving floater,” McAnelly said. “She then had a key steal and an assist to Gage to seal the game.”
Gage, a freshman, poured in a career-high 25 points. She had a pair of 3-point goals.
Gage scored 15 points in a 63-38 win over Fort Dodge on Jan. 4. But she had struggled since, failing to reach double figures in five of the next seven games before contributing 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting in Monday’s win over Ames.
On Tuesday, Gage was nearly unstoppable as she often traded baskets with Fort Dodge’s Tory Bennett, who racked up 27 points, eight rebounds and four steals in the loss.
“Savannah was phenomenal,” McAnelly said.
Jenna Pitz had 15 points for the Hawkettes. Jasmine Moser added eight points and 12 rebounds.
The win improved Ankeny to 8-2 in the conference and 13-5 overall. The Dodgers’ records dropped to 3-6 and 6-11.
The Hawkettes pulled within a half-game of No. 3 Ankeny Centennial for first place. With a win on Friday over visiting Mason City (8-11), Ankeny would put itself in position to capture at least a share of the league crown by defeating the Jaguars in the regular-season finale on Feb. 11.
