A year ago, the Waukee boys’ basketball team ended Ankeny’s bid for a second consecutive Class 4A state title with a 74-54 victory in a substate final.
On Tuesday at Dallas Center-Grimes, the ninth-ranked Hawks returned the favor.
Ankeny pulled away in the third quarter and then held on to beat the defending state champion Warriors, 62-57, in a substate final that featured 13 lead changes.
“It feels good,” said Ankeny senior Ryan Crandall, who led the Hawks with 20 points. “After last year to come back and have the same opponent, it feels real good to beat them especially.”
Ankeny (19-4) extended its winning streak to five games. The Hawks advanced to the state tournament for the 17th time in program history.
Waukee finished the season at 14-11. The Warriors also lost to Ankeny, 65-58, on Jan. 18.
“They’re a good team,” said Ankeny junior Maddox Ward. “The first time we played them it was a battle, too.”
Waukee got off to a good start in Tuesday’s game. The Warriors closed out the first quarter with a 13-6 run to take an 18-13 lead.
Cade Littlefield had seven of the last nine points in the run.
“They’ve been shooting the ball really well from 3,” said Ankeny junior Karson Wehde. “Littlefield is shooting the rock really well, so it was tough.”
Waukee took its biggest lead, 22-16, on a jumper by Mason Costello early in the second quarter.
“I wouldn’t say we got worried,” Wehde said. ‘We stuck to the process, and we knew this would be the outcome.”
A basket by Wehde ignited Ankeny’s comeback. After Lio Aguirre scored another basket, Wehde followed with a 3-pointer to give the Hawks a 23-22 lead with 3 minutes 41 seconds left in the half.
The two teams then traded baskets the rest of the half. Crandall’s 3-pointer put Ankeny ahead before Vance Peiffer followed with one of his own with 55 seconds to go to give the Warriors a 30-29 lead at halftime.
“We were (confident),” said Peiffer, who poured in a game-high 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting and also grabbed seven rebounds. “We lost by seven last game, and we thought we could get them. We just fell short.”
Ankeny took the lead for good, 33-32, on a floater by Wehde early in the third quarter. Crandall followed with a basket, then later converted a Waukee turnover into a 3-point play to push the advantage to 43-38.
“We were just a little excited when we came into the game,” said Crandall, who also grabbed eight rebounds and had two steals. “The second half we kind of slowed down a little bit and got our composure and started scoring the ball, so it was a good win.”
The Warriors had a chance to play for the final shot of the third quarter, but they left too much time on the clock. Crandall passed to Ward for a layup at the buzzer to give Ankeny a 45-38 lead.
“I think we just needed to settle down and play a little better,” said Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson. “It’s just one of those situations, and we’ve been in a few of them the last couple of years. Luckily, we’re not afraid of that situation. I just thought we were taking some bad shots, and they were making some. Luckily, our guys buckled down and held them to eight points in the third quarter, and that was a huge factor for us.”
The Hawks took their biggest lead, 53-43, on a pair of free throws by Aguirre midway through the final period. Waukee continued to foul in an effort to get the ball back, and the Warriors eventually closed the gap to 55-51 on a drive by Littlefield with 2:12 remaining.
But Ward made two free throws on Ankeny’s next possession, then later added two more with 42 seconds left to give the Hawks a 61-55 lead.
“We always shoot free throws at the end of practice when we’re tired, and honestly it helps,” Ward said.
Ankeny made 15-of-23 free throws in the fourth quarter, including 5-of-8 by Ward. Ward also helped Carson Johnson with some of the ballhandling duties against Waukee’s full-court press.
“Maddox is a tough guy,” Carlson said. “He’s done a great job for us. He’s a leader for us even though he doesn’t know it sometimes, and we’re proud of him.”
Aguirre had 13 points and four assists for the Hawks. Ward and Wehde each added seven points.
“It feels great to move on,” Ward said. “Two years ago when we won it, it felt good. And last year, we had a heartbreaker. But this year hopefully we can bring it back home.”
Littlefield scored 19 points and had four assists in the loss.
“It was a grind,” Carlson said. “Waukee is very, very good, and they’re going to be a heck of a team to contend with next year. They’ve got a great coaching staff and I have a lot of respect for those guys, so we’re just very happy to come through.”
Sixth-seeded Ankeny will play third-seeded Johnston (19-3) in the Class 4A quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 9. Tip-off is at 3:45 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena.
“Our goal since day one has been to win it all,” Wehde said.
