Ankeny’s Carson Johnson just continues to scorch the nets.
The senior point guard poured in 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting to lead the ninth-ranked Hawks to a 78-53 victory over Bettendorf in the ServPro MVC-CIML Showdown on Saturday at Alliant Energy Powerhouse in Cedar Rapids. He went 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
Johnson leads Class 4A in scoring with an average of 25.3 points per game. He is shooting 57.5 percent from the field, including 52.5 percent from behind the arc (31-of-59).
“His work ethic has always been so great in the gym, and his body has changed this year,” said Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson, whose team raised its record to 8-2. “That’s really allowed him to take contact better and get to the free-throw line. I don’t think I could have imagined him to be averaging what he is right now, but his endurance is incredible and he’s just playing really well.”
Bettendorf got 28 points from Caden Wilkins, but none of his teammates scored more than seven points. The Bulldogs dropped to 5-5.
“They have a couple of really nice players and I thought they played well in the first half too, but they got a little fatigued,” Carlson said of the Bulldogs. “So we just kept extending the lead throughout the third and fourth quarters.”
Ankeny held a 42-30 lead at halftime. The Hawks extended the margin to 58-39 after three quarters.
Ankeny shot 64.6 percent from the field (31-of-48).
“Our guys just found the open shooters, and we were hitting our shots,” Carlson said.
Rio Aguirre had 12 points, four rebounds and three assists for the Hawks. Lio Aguirre had 12 points and three steals, while Cash Schoolen added 10 points.
“It was really a fun experience to play in that arena,” Carlson said. “Obviously, we shot it really well and it worked out. It was a nice start to our second half of the season.”
Ankeny will host a CIML Conference game against Johnston (6-5) on Tuesday. The Hawks won the first meeting at Johnston, 51-45, on Dec. 1.
