There were several upsets on Friday night in the semifinal round of the boys’ Class 4A substate basketball tournaments.
Ninth-ranked Ankeny refused to be one of the victims.
The Hawks jumped out to a 24-7 lead in the first quarter and went on to defeat visiting Sioux City West, 83-48, in a Substate 1 matchup.
“You’ve really got to establish who you are early on,” said Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson. “We definitely talked to our guys about how (upsets) were happening around the state (in other classes). Some people just don’t respect their opponent, and we definitely respected Sioux City West. We knew they were going to play hard, and they have a couple of really good players. We got out to a lead, extended it and just kept pulling away.
“We’re excited to move on,” he added.
Ryan Crandall and Karson Wehde each scored 19 points as Ankeny (18-4) won its fourth straight game since losing at Des Moines Hoover, 53-51, in overtime on Feb. 8. The Hawks will play Waukee (14-10) in the substate final on Tuesday at Dallas Center-Grimes at 7 p.m.
“We were very locked in from the start,” said Crandall, who also had seven rebounds, three assists and four steals. “We got a lead early and kept the foot on the gas for the majority of the game. That was the goal for this game.”
Ankeny increased its lead to 42-16 at halftime. The Hawks held a 64-37 advantage after three quarters.
Wehde went 4-for-8 from 3-point range. Carson Johnson went 2-for-4 from behind the arc and had 14 points, while Braden Simonsen chipped in 11.
“We just had a really good flow overall,” Carlson said. “I think at the end of of the day our defense and rebounding are our staples. But when we can score the ball really well, we can be really good. It was a fun night.”
Ankeny started the game with a 7-0 run. Sioux City West (7-15) called a timeout, but was unable to slow the Hawks’ onslaught.
“We got multiple guys involved, and we were feeling pretty good about things,” Carlson said. “We needed that, I think, just for a confidence boost. The guys played well, and they shot the ball really well.”
Both teams played without a key player. Ankeny forward Alex Aguirre, who averages 8.5 points and 3.0 rebounds, broke his hand during the regular-season finale against Des Moines North on Feb. 18 and is out for the postseason.
Sioux City West’s Lamarion Mothershead, who averages 11.7 points, was also out with a broken hand.
“That obviously hurt them and allowed us to plug the lane a little more,” Carlson said. “A lot of times to win you have to be fortunate, and we were.”
The absence of Mothershead allowed the Hawks to focus even more of their defensive attention on West’s leading scorer, Keavlan Hayes, who averages more than 17 points per game.
“We tried to force him to a hand that he doesn’t want to dribble with, and that worked really well,” Carlson said. “He got tired and frustrated. It was a collective effort. We had a lot of guys who would meet him in the lane.”
Waukee advanced to the substate final with a 61-40 victory at Sioux City East. The Warriors made 17 3-pointers.
“If you’re shooting the ball that well, you’re going to win,” Carlson said. “We know how good they are, and we’re excited for the opportunity to play them.”
The two teams will meet in the postseason for the third straight year. Ankeny posted a 78-70 victory in the Class 4A championship game in 2020, but the Warriors rolled to a 74-54 win in last year’s substate final and went on to capture the state title in their final season as one varsity program.
Waukee split into two programs with the opening of Waukee Northwest last fall. The Warriors lost to Ankeny, 65-58, on Jan. 18 at Waukee.
Waukee made 12-of-31 3-pointers in that game, but could not overcome a 40-21 rebounding deficit.
“We’re very excited for this game,” Crandall said. “It’s going to be a good one.”
