Dowling Catholic star Ava Zediker was held scoreless for nearly 11 minutes in Friday’s girls’ basketball game against visiting Ankeny.
The Creighton recruit went on to score just six points on 2-of-9 shooting–nearly 13 below her average.
“That was part of our plan to try to take away Ava,” said Ankeny coach Nate Tobey. “It’s easier said than done, but when you have a defender like Jayla (Williams), it gives you hope. She worked really hard tonight and battled Ava, and that was fun to watch.”
Unfortunately, the second-ranked Maroons have a plethora of weapons alongside Zediker. She didn’t have to score on Friday because fellow seniors Ellie Olson and Macy Harnden helped pick up the slack.
Olson had eight points and Harnden added a pair of 3-point goals in a 20-2 run that allowed Dowling to break away from a 7-7 tie and build a commanding 27-9 lead in the first half. The Hawkettes could get no closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
“You just can not get down to them when they have the guards that they do that can control the game,” Tobey said. “A few scenarios hurt us defensively. It’s nice we play them again and have an opportunity to improve in those areas.”
The Maroons held a 34-18 lead at halftime. No. 15 Ankeny scored the first five points of the third quarter, but Dowling then responded with a 10-0 run that put the game away.
Olson and Ellie Muller each had four points in the spurt. Muller, a 6-foot-2 junior, finished with a game-high 18 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks.
Olson had 14 points and three assists for the Maroons, who improved to 11-2 in the CIML Conference and 15-3 overall. Ankeny’s records dropped to 4-9 and 8-10.
Williams and Savannah Gage each scored 13 points to lead the Hawkettes, who will host a rematch against Dowling in the regular-season finale on Feb. 11. The two teams could also potentially meet in a Class 5A regional final–based on the current rankings.
“We have to win a couple games first in the regular season and the postseason to get to that point,” Tobey said. “It’s certainly a possibility (that we could have) to battle them for a third time.”
Ankeny will host a conference game against No. 3 Waukee Northwest on Monday. The Wolves are 11-3 in the league and 14-3 overall.
The Hawkettes lost the first meeting at Northwest, 70-49, on Jan. 3.
