It didn’t take long for Savannah Gage to shake off the rust.
The junior guard scored a season-high 27 points on Tuesday to lead the eighth-ranked Ankeny girls’ basketball team to a 79-61 victory at No. 12 Waukee Northwest.
It was Gage’s fourth game back after recovering from a torn ACL. She had averaged 10 points in her first three games.
“It’s a lot of things, and I’ve been working really hard on many parts of my game as I have been recovering, but it’s a whole different feel when it’s in a real game,” Gage said. “I definitely feel more comfortable today than I did a week ago.”
Gage scored 22 of her points in the first half as the Hawkettes built a 45-26 advantage. She made 5-of-7 shots from 3-point range.
“She really led us in a lot of ways,” said Ankeny coach Nate Tobey. “She got us going with her hot shooting. She just knocked down some big shots for us continuously.”
Ankeny’s Jayla Williams had 22 points, five rebounds and eight steals. Ainsley Kiene tied her career-high with 17 points.
“Those two did their thing, and they’ve been so consistent this entire time,” Tobey said. “I just appreciate what they bring to the table game in and game out as sophomores. The sky’s the limit for those two.”
Karsen Jacks dished out nine assists for Ankeny, which shot 60.5 percent from the field (26-of-43). The Hawkettes improved to 2-2 in the CIML Conference and 6-2 overall, while Northwest’s records dropped to 1-4 and 3-4.
“As a team, I think we are playing really well together,” Gage said. “Our chemistry is going to be really important as we move through a really difficult schedule.”
Former Ankeny Centennial player Aliyah Al-Hameed led the Wolves with 14 points. Sadie Maas had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
“We got off to a great start and just kind of maintained from there,” Tobey said. “The girls had great energy and effort to start the game, and they executed exactly what we wanted to do.”
Ankeny will travel to Dowling Catholic on Friday for another conference game against the No. 4 Maroons, who are 3-2 in the league and 4-3 overall after rolling past No. 11 Southeast Polk, 63-41, on Tuesday.