The Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball team won’t have to leave its own gym in order to qualify for the Class 5A state tournament.
For crosstown rival Ankeny, though, the road to Wells Fargo Arena will likely go through Davenport.
The regional pairings were announced on Wednesday by the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union. Sixth-ranked Centennial (14-6) earned a No. 1 seed in Region 6, while No. 12 Ankeny (11-9) landed a No. 2 seed in Region 5.
The Jaguars will host a regional semifinal against Urbandale (5-16) or Marshalltown (3-17) on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. The J-Hawks have already lost twice to Centennial, 52-21 and 77-28.
No. 11 Linn-Mar (Marion) (13-7) will host Bettendorf (11-9) in the other Region 6 semifinal. The highest remaining ranked team in the final IGHSAU rankings will host the regional final on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.
Ankeny, meanwhile, will host a regional semifinal against CIML Conference rival Waukee Northwest (7-11) on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. The Hawkettes won both meetings against Northwest during the regular season, 52-41 and 59-52.
No. 5 Davenport North (18-2) will host Iowa City High (5-13) or Muscatine (4-15) in the other Region 5 semifinal. The highest remaining ranked team in the final IGHSAU rankings will host the regional final on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.