(Story by Stephen McDaniel)
For three and a half quarters, it felt like the Ankeny boys’ basketball team had second-ranked Valley on the ropes and on the verge of a major victory.
But a 12-0 run and one too many trips to the free-throw line for Valley helped the Tigers escape out of Ankeny with a 64-60 win on Friday.
“We played really hard and battled,” said Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson. “Our guys are tough dudes and just kept fighting. That’s what I love about them, and I’m really proud of them. We felt like we were two or three plays away.”
This wasn’t the first time that the two teams battled in a close contest. Ankeny stuck with Valley during the season opener in West Des Moines back on Dec. 3, which saw the Tigers pull away in the fourth quarter for a 76-65 victory.
Valley star Zay Robinson didn’t play in the first meeting against the Hawks, but he was back on the court Friday.
Robinson, who is a football commit to Iowa State, recently returned to the lineup and strengthened the Tigers as their third-leading scorer at 15.7 points per game last season.
The Hawks initially felt his impact as Robinson rattled off a 6-0 run by himself to open the game before ending the night with 15 points.
Just when it seemed like the Tigers were ready to pull away right out of the gates, Ankeny got its first bucket from Drew Sorensen and the Hawks settled in.
Jasani Campbell helped cut Valley’s lead down to one point before Mars Clark converted an and-one opportunity and pushed the Hawks ahead 16-14, giving them a lead that they would hold for most of the game.
On top of getting shots to fall from around the court, the Hawks were having a ton of success on the defensive side of things and managing to pull down the rebounds when the Tigers were going through cold streaks.
“Our guys played hard, in great position and communicated well which helps a ton,” Carlson said. “We were able to rebound, which is a crucial element. You can play great defense, but if you don’t get the rebound, you’re playing defense again for another 30 seconds.”
Ankeny held Valley to just five points in the second quarter, which marked one of the lowest-scoring periods for the Tigers this season and helped the Hawks to a 27-21 advantage at halftime.
Sorensen provided a big spark for Ankeny in the first half, and he got a lot of help from Campbell and fellow junior Rio Aguirre in the second half.
The trio combined for 24 of Ankeny’s 33 points in the second half. Campbell made 3-of-6 3-point attempts and finished with 18 points, while Sorensen and Aguirre each added 14.
Aguirre also grabbed five rebounds, while Sorensen had three assists and three steals.
“He’s just solid,” Carlson said of Sorensen. “He can play a lot of different positions, and he’s always guarding the other team’s biggest players. He’s just an unselfish guy that really loves basketball and loves his teammates. He’s a true leader for us as a junior, and he’s done a wonderful job.
“I’m proud of Jasani growing up as a sophomore and getting thrown out there. He’s starting to get his 3-point shot going for us, which is awesome,” he added.
Ankeny continued to hold the lead in the second half, but wasn’t able to pull away and allowed Valley to slowly inch its way back into it. Much like the first meeting, the Tigers took control down the stretch.
In the fourth quarter, Aguirre traded baskets with Valley and scored on three straight possessions for the Hawks before Campbell scored through contact at the hoop to put Ankeny up, 52-48, with about 3 minutes 30 seconds left.
That’s when Kiki Deng caught fire for the Tigers and converted an and-one chance that turned the tide for Valley. Deng led the Tigers on a 12-0 run that gave them a 60-52 lead.
Ankeny finally ended its scoring drought when Kael Roush made a 3-point goal with about 17 seconds remaining.
Despite a couple late baskets from Campbell, Valley was able to seal the victory at the charity stripe. Deng and Trevin Jirak each scored 19 points to lead the Tigers, who improved to 8-2 overall and remained atop the CIML Conference at 7-1.
The Hawks’ records dropped to 3-4 and 4-5.
“We led pretty much the whole game, in control and just a couple empty possessions late,” Carlson said. “(Valley) is so athletic, tough and experienced, and they scored on us every single time (late in the game) and now the lead is gone. It’s a tough situation, but one we can learn from and grow from it.”
Ankeny will face two more ranked conference opponents this week. The Hawks will host No. 8 Waukee on Tuesday before traveling to No. 5 Johnston on Friday, hoping to avenge a pair of double-digit losses last month.
