Senior guard Cabryn Klingner scored a career-high 19 points as the Ankeny Centennial boys’ basketball team posted a 64-59 victory at Iowa City Liberty in a non-conference game last Monday. He also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists as the Jaguars (1-5) earned their first win of the season.
Klingner is averaging 9.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He leads the team with eight 3-point goals.
Here is some inside info on Klingner:
Congratulations on the win at Iowa City Liberty. How important was it for the team to get a win after losing in the final seconds at Urbandale three nights earlier?
We don’t really look at the wins necessarily, but it was very important for us to continue to get better and take a step forward. We played well for a lot of the Urbandale game, but just let it slip away at the end. So it felt nice to close a game out and get the first win.
Your team overcame a 34-23 rebounding disadvantage by forcing the Lightning into 21 turnovers. Do you think that’s something that your team will have to continue to do in order to be successful?
Our ball pressure and forcing turnovers will definitely be a key for us moving forward, but we also have to do a better job on the glass as a team. We all know it’s hard to win games when you are losing in the margins by that much.
You went 3-of-6 from 3-point range in that game. Do you have a favorite spot to shoot from behind the arc?
I wouldn’t say I necessarily have a favorite spot from behind the arc, but I would say my favorite shot is an open one.
Your team then closed out a five-game road swing on Friday with a 68-44 loss at two-time defending Class 4A state champion Valley. What did you think of your team’s performance against the Tigers?
We played really well as a team for about 3 1/2 to 4 quarters, but after that we just let it slip away. I thought we did a great job at rebounding especially in the first half, and we did a good job defensively taking away (Trevin) Jirak for most of the game. We just let it slip away in the fourth quarter which is something we have done a few times now and is why we just need to work on closing out games better.
Your team has already played three of the conference’s top squads in Waukee Northwest, Dowling Catholic and Valley, and you’ll host another contender in Johnston in your first game after the break on Jan. 3. Who do you think is the favorite to win the CIML title at this point, and why?
For me it’s hard to say who the favorite is to win the conference, especially six games into the season. Our conference is the hardest in the state in my opinion, and every team is a different animal. Teams beat each other all the time maybe when they are not supposed to so I’ll just have to see how it plays out for a few more weeks before I can answer that one.
After scoring two points in the season opener against Waukee Northwest, you had a higher scoring output in every game since then until Friday, when you had six points. Do you feel like you’ve found your role on this team, or was it just more a matter of fully recovering from your injury in the offseason?
I would say it is partially both. When I came back from my injury after (being out for) over a month, it took me a couple weeks to fully get back in the groove of things. But I will also say that I feel like I had to find my role again, and it took me a few games to do that.
You were one of the team’s most experienced players coming into the season. Have you tried to be a leader and help out your younger teammates?
Yes, myself and Rex Jensen have been stepping up as especially the vocal leaders in the locker room along with Sean Tunks, and while from the outside people only see our 1-5 record, what people don’t see is our growth as individuals and as a team every day in practice and even in games where we have lost. We have a primarily young team with five of our top eight being underclassmen, and it has been fun to help them and see them grow as players. As one of the few returners I’ve seen what it takes to win close games, and we are ready to start winning more of our own.
What things do you think your team needs to work on the most over the break?
We need to work on finishing out games and rebounding. Those are the top two things in my eyes.
Plans for next year? Would you like to play basketball in college?
I’m currently undecided on my plans for next year. I am waiting to see on how the rest of the season pans out for me and decide then if I want to continue playing in college or not.
What are you going to study?
I would like to be able to study Digital Marketing.
Do you watch much of the NBA, and do you have a favorite team?
I would have to say my favorite NBA team is wherever LeBron (James) is playing because I believe he is the greatest player of all time.