The Waukee Northwest boys’ basketball team is as good as advertised.
The Wolves, bolstered by the addition of multiple transfers in the offseason, jumped out to a 15-4 lead in the first quarter and cruised to a 60-38 victory at CIML Conference rival Ankeny Centennial on Tuesday. It was the season opener for both squads.
“They’re a very talented team with some nice length,” Centennial coach Bob Fontana said of the Wolves. “Their three transfers that are starting in the guard court are obviously a big shot in the arm for them.”
Guard Bode Goodman, who played at Southeast Polk last year, led the Wolves with 19 points–nine of them in the opening period. He also had six rebounds and seven assists.
Goodman is joined in the team’s backcourt by fellow senior Peyton McCollum, the son of new Drake coach Ben McCollum, and junior Isaiah Oliver, the son of former Iowa standout Dean Oliver. McCollum had 10 points and matched Goodman with a pair of 3-point goals.
Northwest used a 14-0 run in the second quarter to build a 35-11 halftime lead. Centennial then outscored the Wolves, 27-25, in the second half.
“The disappointing thing to us coaches, more than the loss, was that we just didn’t do the fundamental things that we had practiced,” said Fontana, whose team was outrebounded by a 35-20 margin. “We got in a hurry with things, and we did not rely on the fundamental aspects of the game that you need to do against a team like that. And some of those mistakes on offense then led to some bad transition defense.”
Evan Abbott led Centennial with 12 points, 10 of them in the final two quarters. Will Smith and Owen Liechti each had four points and five rebounds, while sophomore Luke Mitchell added four points and four boards.
“I thought some of our young guys did some good things,” Fontana said. “It may not show up in the scorebook, but they played well in some other phases of the game.”
Centennial shot just 31.7 percent from the field (13-of-41), including 1-of-10 from behind the arc. The Jaguars also did not have an answer for Northwest’s two junior post players, Colin Rice and Landon Davis.
Rice racked up 14 points, eight rebounds and five blocks, while Davis nearly had a triple-double with 10 points, 10 boards and nine blocks. Davis, who also had five assists, threw down a trio of dunks.
“He runs the court well, and he hurts you in multiple ways on both ends of the floor,” Fontana said of Davis. “Defensively, whether he’s guarding the ball or in help position, he’s a great rim protector.”
Fontana said the game provided a benchmark for his team, which will travel to Ankeny on Friday for another conference game against the Hawks (0-1).
“You know where you’re at compared to one of the best teams in the state, if not the best team,” he said. “I told their head coach afterwards that they’ve got the makings of a state championship team.
“And we’ve got a lot to work on,” he added.
