All season long, senior point guard Luke Winkel has been carrying a heavy load for the Ankeny Centennial boys’ basketball team.
On Friday at Centennial, two junior reserves–Cabryn Klingner and Will Smith–helped the 10th-ranked Jaguars keep their season alive.
Klingner scored all eight of his points in the first half, then Smith had all eight of his in the final two quarters as Centennial outlasted Des Moines Roosevelt, 60-53, in a Class 4A substate semifinal.
“It’s unspeakable (what they did),” said Winkel, who scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half. “To be juniors coming up in a do-or-die game, it really takes some (guts) to perform like that.”
Roosevelt used a 10-0 run in the second half to take a 35-29 lead. Smith then scored off an assist from Winkel to spark an 11-0 flurry that put the Jaguars (17-6) ahead for good.
Smith scored on a drive to the basket with 1 minute 29 seconds left in the third quarter to give Centennial a 36-35 advantage. He then converted a steal into a layup just 23 seconds later.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Smith grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in to extend the Jaguars’ lead to 49-43.
“Our two juniors off the bench were huge,” said Centennial coach Bob Fontana. “We don’t win the game without them.”
Roosevelt twice pulled to within three points in the final minutes. Remi Taylor scored on a drive to close the gap to 56-53 with 52 seconds remaining.
The Roughriders then elected not to foul on Centennial’s ensuing possession, hoping to get a defensive stop and perhaps a tying 3-pointer in the final seconds. However, with the shot clock winding down, Connor Welsch drove for a layup that increased the lead to 58-53 with 14 seconds to go.
Roosevelt prevented Winkel from getting the ball, but Welsch made a play for the Jaguars.
“I’m sure every team wants to try and contain Winkel and try to take him away, so the rest of us have to step up,” said Welsch, who finished with seven points. “I thought our juniors stepped up really big in tonight’s game.”
Klingner helped Centennial rally from a 23-11 deficit in the first half. His 3-pointer capped a 12-0 run that tied the game at 23-23 with 1:20 left in the second quarter.
“When you get down by 12, I really applaud our kids for their resiliency because the first quarter we weren’t getting stops and then when we were getting stops in the second quarter we weren’t making shots,” Fontana said. “And some of them were right at the rim.”
After Tyron Wright scored for Roosevelt, Klingner converted a 3-point play with 10.8 seconds to go to give the Jaguars a 26-25 lead at the break.
“They got off to a hot start, and we found a way to battle back and make it a game at the half,” said Welsch, who scored five points in the second quarter. “And then we won the second half.”
Winkel was held to just one basket in the first half, but he opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer. He later scored 14 of his team’s 16 points during one stretch, including two more treys.
“I never come into a game looking to score,” said Winkel, who went 8-of-11 from the field and also dished out four assists. “I’m looking to make the best play that is going to get points for our team, and that first half it happened to be distributing the ball. In the second half, I just got it going a little bit.”
Roosevelt went 15-7 during the regular season, but forfeited nine of those victories after the school discovered it had been using an ineligible player. The Rougriders defeated Centennial in a preseason scrimmage.
“Every time we play them, it’s been tough,” Welsch said. “When we scrimmaged them, some of us were just coming off another sport so we weren’t in basketball shape yet. It was good to get them this time.”
Fontana wasn’t surprised that his team was severely tested.
“As you can see, they’re freaking good,” he said. “They’re athletic, and they beat Linn-Mar (Marion) by 12. They beat Waukee. We knew it was going to be a battle.”
The Jaguars advanced to Tuesday’s substate final against No. 8 Ankeny (16-6). The game will be played at Southeast Polk, beginning at 7 p.m.
The Hawks rolled to a 73-55 win over Iowa City Liberty on Friday.
“It’s going to be great for the city,” Winkel said. “It’s going to be super competitive, and I’m just looking forward to the energy in that environment.”
Centennial has won five of its last six games since dropping a 76-63 decision at Ankeny on Feb. 2. The Jaguars had won the first meeting, 64-52, on Dec. 19.
“They got us the last time,” Welsch said. “It’s always really competitive and a really good game. I’m excited for it.”
Ankeny’s Carson Johnson scored 38 points in the last game to outduel WInkel, who set a single-game school record with 37 for the Jaguars.
“You’ve got to take care of the basketball, and you’ve got to win the boards,” Fontana said. “Obviously, it comes down to people making plays and making shots this time of the year. I always tell our guys, ‘You can have a great game plan, but it doesn’t come down to the Xs and Os. It comes down to the Jims and Joes.’ You’ve got to have kids who are connected and make plays when they need to be made.”
