Round 2 of the Jag-Hawk basketball showdowns will be held on Friday at Ankeny, where Ankeny Centennial will try to complete a sweep of both the boys’ and girls’ series for the fourth time ever.
Bragging rights will be at stake along with positioning in the CIML Conference. The winner of the boys’ game will own sole possession of third place in the league behind Waukee and Valley, while the winner of the girls’ contest be all alone in fourth behind Johnston, Dowling Catholic and Waukee.
All four teams are also battling for No. 1 seeds in the upcoming postseason tournaments, making both of these games vitally important. (Check out this week’s Ankeny Fanatic weekly podcast to hear what each of the coaches had to say about the games.)
Here’s a closer look at both matchups:
GIRLS
Ankeny
Coach: Nate Tobey
Records: 5-7, 10-7
Current ranking: 8th in Class 5A by the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union
Streak: Won 1
Leading scorer: Jayla Williams (16.2)
Leading rebounder: Jayla Williams (5.7)
Centennial
Coach: Scott DeJong
Records: 6-7, 9-8
Current ranking: 5th in Class 5A by the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union
Streak: Lost 3
Leading scorer: Mya Crawford (14.9)
Leading rebounder: Mya Crawford (7.6)
First meeting: Centennial won, 50-49, on Dec. 19
All-time series: Centennial leads, 19-2
Prediction: Centennial 52-47. The Jaguars are riding a three-game losing skid, but all of those losses were to top-four opponents by an average of six points. A week ago, Centennial dropped a 64-59 decision to No. 1 Johnston, becoming the first team to lose to the powerful Dragons by fewer than 10 points. Ankeny, meanwhile, has had a week to prepare for this game after posting a 50-45 win over No. 12 Waukee Northwest last Friday. But the Hawkettes had struggled in their previous two games, losing to No. 13 Southeast Polk and No. 3 Dowling by a combined 55 points. Ankeny will need to find a way to slow down Centennial point guard Mya Crawford, who is coming off back-to-back career-high 22-point efforts. The Hawkettes also can’t afford to get outrebounded like they did the last time, when Centennial enjoyed a 35-22 advantage on the boards. Ankeny will try to win the rematch for the third consecutive year after dropping the first game, but the Jaguars just seem to be the better team right now.
BOYS
Ankeny
Coach: Brandt Carlson
Records: 7-5, 10-6
Current ranking: Unranked
Streak: Lost 2
Leading scorer: Carson Johnson (22.6)
Leading rebounder: Lio Aguirre (6.3)
Centennial
Coach: Bob Fontana
Records: 7-4, 12-4
Current ranking: 8th in Class 4A by the Iowa High School Athletic Association
Streak: Won 2
Leading scorer: Luke Winkel (21.5)
Leading rebounder: Chase Schutty (9.6)
First meeting: Centennial won, 64-52, on Dec. 19
All-time series: Centennial leads, 12-9
Prediction: Centennial 60-54. The big question surrounding this game is whether or not Ankeny’s Carson Johnson, the third-leading scorer in Class 4A, will be able to play. The senior point guard suffered a severe cut on his left hand during the Hawks’ loss to Waukee Northwest a week ago, then sat out on Tuesday as his team dropped a 67-48 decision to No. 3 Valley. If Johnson is unable to go, then it will be extremely difficult for Ankeny to end its three-game losing streak against the Jaguars. The Hawks’ last win in the series came two years ago, when Lio Aguirre made a jumper at the buzzer in overtime to give his team an 81-79 victory. Johnson has been feeling better every day and said after Tuesday’s game that he thought he’d be ready to play, but he likely won’t be 100 percent. His counterpart at Centennial, Luke WInkel, has been every bit as good as Johnson this season. He poured in 30 points in his team’s earlier win over Ankeny, marking the second time in the last three games against the Hawks that he has reached that mark. If Ankeny is unable to contain Winkel, it could be a long night for the Hawks–even if Johnson plays.