(Story by Gabe Ploeger)
The Waukee Northwest boys’ basketball team had won six straight games and nine of their last 10, and the 10th-ranked Wolves intended to keep that hot streak going.
But No. 8 Ankeny Centennial had their own plans.
The Jaguars relied on a stingy defense to beat visiting Northwest, 49-35, in a CIML Conference game on Friday.
“We defended the jungle and played great team defense,” said Centennial coach Bob Fontana. “We had to be connected on both ends of the floor because they were one of the two hottest teams in the league, and we knew it was going to be a tough test.”
Centennial played tough, gritty defense that kept Northwest from getting into a rhythm. The Wolves shot just 22.2 percent from the field (10-of-45).
Still, it was a close game for a half.
The Jaguars led by just one point before senior guard Luke Winkel called for the ball and worked his magic in the final seconds of the second quarter. He drove hard into the lane and finished through contact with an incredible reverse layup to put his team ahead, 20-17, at the break.
Centennial then used a 14-0 run in the third quarter to break the game open. The Jaguars built a 34-22 advantage after three periods.
Winkel went on to finish with 21 points. He also grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists.
Another crucial piece to the victory was the Jaguars’ dominance on the boards. Chase Schutty grabbed 10 rebounds to go along with his 11 points, which included a trio of 3-point goals. Nick Vaske pulled down seven boards.
Waukee’s top scorer on the season, Grant Tigges, was held to just eight points. Guard Luke Hart was also kept in check, finishing with four points on 1-of-9 shooting.
“I’m proud of us,” Fontana said. “We got down 6-0 (early), and we weathered that storm. I thought from that point on we played very good defense all night long.”
Every time Northwest would begin to crawl back and show some life, the Jaguars would put out the flame with a defensive stop and a bucket on the other end.
“We were connected, and we didn’t give them a lot of second chances,” Fontana said. “I’m just real proud of our guys and how hard they played.”
Centennial improved to 9-5 in the conference and 14-5 overall. The Wolves’ records dropped to 8-8 and 13-8.
The Jaguars will host a conference make-up game against Dowling Catholic on Saturday at 4 p.m. They lost the first meeting at Dowling, 79-64, on Dec. 1.
The Maroons are 6-9 in the league and 8-11 overall. They are coming off a 65-60 loss to Urbandale on Friday.
