Every win matters right now for the Ankeny boys’ basketball team.
The ninth-ranked Hawks, who are fighting for a top seed in a Class 4A substate tournament, took another step toward reaching that goal with a 66-60 victory over visiting Dowling Catholic on Tuesday. They completed a sweep of the season series against the Maroons, who dropped the first meeting, 79-77, on Dec. 15.
“This one wasn’t as much of a shootout, but it certainly felt like it,” said Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson. “The final score didn’t show it. It was just a good, mature win for our guys, and a big one going forward as far as seeding goes.”
The Hawks jumped out to a 20-9 lead in the first quarter, but Dowling closed the gap to 35-30 at halftime. The Maroons pulled within 43-41 after three periods before Ankeny took control in the final 8 minutes.
“It was back and forth,” Carlson said. “I felt like we’d get a lead of maybe 7-10 points and then they would come right down and cut it to four. It was just a grind of a game. They had a couple of guys play really well–shot the ball well and kept them in it. But we were resilient again and did what we needed to do down the stretch.
“We’re just grateful to get another win,” he added.
Carson Johnson scored 21 points to lead Ankeny. Rio Aguirre had 17, and Lio Aguirre chipped in 10.
Rio Aguirre has averaged 17.2 points over the last six games.
“I think Rio has really settled in on the perimeter, and he’s not trying to do too much,” Carlson said. “He’s just taking shots that are coming to him, and he’s shooting well. And the guys are finding him.”
Cade Pederson and Cash Schoolen each added nine points.
“Cade really gave us a lift defensively, and Cash just continues to improve,” Carlson said.
Ridik Meton led Dowling with 26 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks, while Ryan Kleppe scored 23 and matched Meton with four 3-point goals. Joey Coppola had eight assists and four steals.
Ankeny improved to 7-3 in the CIML Conference and 10-4 overall, while the Maroons’ records dropped to 5-6 and 6-7. The Hawks moved into third place in the league ahead of Ankeny Centennial with the Jaguars’ loss at Waukee.
Ankeny will host another conference game against Waukee Northwest (4-7, 8-7) on Friday. The Hawks won the first meeting at Northwest last month, 84-76, behind Johnson’s career-high 40 points.
