On most nights, the Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball team can rely on double-figure scoring from the duo of Mya Crawford and Jaeden Pratt.
Against visiting Urbandale on Thursday, the fifth-ranked Jaguars got an unexpected spark from junior guard Ava Martin.
Martin scored 13 of her 15 points in the first half and also grabbed seven rebounds to lead Centennial to a 47-25 win over the J-Hawks. It marked only the fifth time this season that somebody other than Crawford or Pratt finished with 10 or more points.
Martin went 6-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range.
“Ava led the way for us,” said Centennial coach Scott DeJong.
The Jaguars held a 26-13 lead at halftime. They extended the margin to 37-20 after three quarters.
Pratt finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five steals. Centennial outrebounded Urbandale by a 37-22 margin, forced 24 turnovers and held the J-Hawks to 23.3 percent shooting (7-of-30).
“We had a strong defensive effort led by Jaeden,” DeJong said.
It was Centennial’s sixth straight win and its second over Urbandale. The Jaguars won the first meeting, 75-33, on Nov. 28.
Centennial improved to 6-4 in the CIML Conference and 9-5 overall. The J-Hawks’ records dropped to 0-10 and 2-11.
The Jaguars will travel to Waukee on Tuesday for a conference game against the No. 4 Warriors, who are 7-3 in the league and 10-3 overall. Waukee won the first meeting at Centennial, 51-37, on Dec. 15.
