A fast start ignited the fifth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball team to a 51-40 win at No. 11 Southeast Polk on Friday.
The Jaguars jumped out to an 18-2 lead at the end of the first quarter and eventually built a 44-23 advantage after three periods. They cruised to their fourth straight victory.
“It’s never an easy place to play, and they were coming off a win over Valley there (on Dec. 19),” said Centennial coach Scott DeJong. “We’re elated to get out of there with a win.”
Centennial played without starting guard Ava Martin, who was out with an illness. But the rest of the Jaguars stepped up.
Mya Crawford scored 10 of her 21 points in the first quarter. She also grabbed 16 rebounds, dished out four assists and had two steals.
Jaeden Pratt added nine points, 15 boards and a block. Kylin Smith contributed six points and eight rebounds.
“Our rebounding was really good,” DeJong said. “They only had two offensive rebounds, so I thought we did a great job on the boards.”
Tillie Smith had nine points for the Jaguars, going 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Lizzie Beam moved into the starting lineup and had one of the team’s seven treys.
“Lizzie has been playing well and got a lot of minutes tonight and performed well,” DeJong said. “I thought Mylie Hatfield came in and played a couple minutes, which was good. And Kylin had a huge game–she made some big shots for us. Our other kids really stepped up and carried the load.”
Southeast Polk scored all of its points from behind the arc or at the free-throw line. The Rams had no two-point baskets.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before,” DeJong said. “They did hit some 3s, but I thought our defense was really good throughout the game.”
Centennial improved to 4-4 in the CIML Conference and 7-5 overall, while Southeast Polk’s records dropped to 2-6 and 6-6. The Jaguars are now tied for fourth place in the league with Ankeny and Valley following the Tigers’ loss at Waukee.
Centennial will host a conference game against No. 3 Dowling Catholic (8-3) on Tuesday. The Maroons won the first meeting, 60-34, on Dec. 1.
Dowling’s Ava Zediker scored 15 points in a 43-33 win over No. 12 Waukee Northwest on Friday. She surpassed the 1,000-point career mark.
