For the fourth year in a row, the Ankeny girls’ basketball team is just one win away from a trip to the state tournament.
This time, the Hawkettes will get to host the regional final.
Eighth-ranked Ankeny opened postseason play on Saturday with a 58-40 victory over visiting Cedar Rapids Kennedy in a Class 5A regional semifinal. The Cougars finished the season at 8-15.
The Hawkettes (13-9) will host No. 9 Valley (12-10) in the regional final on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
“We’ll need to come ready to play, especially with as much success as they’ve had in the postseason,” said first-year Ankeny coach Nate Tobey. “I look forward to the game, but it will bring a huge challenge for us for sure.”
Ankeny overcame a slow start in Saturday’s game, when it fell behind 9-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Hawkettes then outscored Kennedy in the second period, 30-12, to build a 37-21 advantage.
“I think nerves could have been partly a factor in the beginning, just knowing today was the start of the postseason and some nerves are expected,” said Ankeny guard Savannah Gage. “But, we did have a slow start in the first quarter. I think the key to the second quarter was just settling into the game and trusting one another to make plays down the stretch. I think we knew at that point we had to turn it up a notch after the slow start in the first quarter.”
Tobey said his team initially struggled against Kennedy’s zone defense.
“I thought we had some good looks early on, but they just didn’t fall,” he said. “Playing against a zone really for the first time this year for an extended period was something that we prepared our girls for, but it was just tough to go against to start a game like that. But the second quarter we definitely got into a flow and made some adjustments and did a nice job with that.”
The Hawkettes also cranked up their defensive intensity.
“We applied some smart pressure, created some turnovers and got some layups and open shots through that,” Tobey said.
Gage led Ankeny with 21 points, going 4-of-9 from 3-point range. She is now averaging 17.8 points in her postseason career.
Jayla Williams racked up 15 points, eight rebounds, four steals and seven blocks. Ainsley Kiene chipped in 14 points, while Karsen Jacks dished out six assists.
Lexi Moore had 19 points and seven rebounds to lead Kennedy, which was coming off a 72-48 win over Waterloo West in a regional quarterfinal on Wednesday.
“They’ve gotten a lot better as the season has gone on, and they’ve been playing good basketball,” Tobey said of the Cougars. “You know, their record doesn’t necessarily show that, but they’ve won some big games down the stretch.”
Ankeny will now face CIML Conference rival Valley for the third time. The Hawkettes scored the last six points to post a 55-50 victory on Jan. 2, then won the rematch at Valley, 53-46, on Feb. 9.
The second win allowed Ankeny to secure the home-court advantage for Tuesday’s game. That could be a crucial factor, because the Hawkettes lost at Waukee, Des Moines Roosevelt and Davenport North in their three previous trips to the regional final.
“We’re very excited to have the opportunity to play against a tremendous Valley team that plays really hard,” Gage said.
Valley is seeking its third consecutive state tournament appearance. The Tigers advanced to the regional final with a 52-32 triumph over Iowa City Liberty on Saturday, getting 13 points from Elan Litt and 11 more from Kari Rose.
Valley star Elise Jaeger, who suffered a knee injury during the loss to Ankeny nine days ago, had 10 points and six rebounds for the Tigers. She also blocked two shots.
Jaeger, a 6-foot-1 senior, averages 13.9 points and 8.9 rebounds. She has committed to play for Northern Iowa.
Jaeger was held to eight points in the loss at Ankeny. In the rematch, she scored 10 points and helped Valley to a 29-26 lead before leaving the game about 1 minute into the third quarter.
A year ago, Jaeger went 7-of-13 from 3-point range and poured in 30 points in a 67-36 victory at Ankeny.
“Elise is a great player, so we will definitely plan for her and the rest of their team as much as possible,” Gage said. “It is definitely going to be a highly competitive game, and I know both teams will give it their best shot.”
