The Dowling Catholic boys’ basketball team entered Tuesday’s non-conference game at Ankeny Centennial with a 6-11 record.
Centennial coach Bob Fontana wouldn’t let his players be fooled by the Maroons’ .353 winning percentage.
“In the latest BC Moore rankings, Dowling had the toughest schedule in the state,” Fontana said. “They’ve lost to a lot of really good teams, so they’ve had a brutal schedule. There’s a lot of good teams in our league, and you can’t look at teams’ records.
“It’s just that time of the year. I knew it would be a tough game for us,” he added.
The 10th-ranked Jaguars snapped Dowling’s modest two-game winning streak with a 49-40 victory. Caden Kelling had 13 points in the win, while Reece Robinson grabbed 11 rebounds and had two blocks.
Centennial (10-7) held a 21-18 lead at halftime and a 32-28 margin after three quarters. The Jaguars finally got some breathing room in the final period, when they built a 12-point advantage.
“It was a physical game,” Fontana said. “There were times it had a good flow to it, and times when it didn’t. Both teams competed really hard, and we knew they would so we knew we had to match their intensity.
“I was really pleased with our defense again. We also outrebounded them, and that was a big key for us,” he added.
Chris Louis had 11 points for the Jaguars. Jackson Snyder added nine.
Kelling contributed five boards, two assists and four steals. He also provided the highlight of the game in the fourth quarter, when he threw down a two-handed dunk while being fouled on a fast break.
“He got up there and finished that thing,” Fontana said. “That was a pretty impressive play.”
Joey Coppola had 11 points and six rebounds to lead Dowling, which shot just 33.3 percent from the field (17-of-51). Jaylen Pettus added 10 points.
Centennial sealed the win by making seven straight free throws in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars also committed just 12 turnovers.
“We did a good job of taking care of the ball,” Fontana said.
Centennial will travel across town on Friday for a CIML Iowa Conference showdown against No. 6 Ankeny (14-4), which is coming off an overtime loss at Des Moines Hoover. The Jaguars will try to avenge an earlier 58-48 loss.
“We just have to focus on what we need to do to get better, and that goes for the rest of the season and not just Friday,” Fontana said.
