With two more victories over the weekend, the Ankeny boys’ basketball team is on the verge of wrapping up a winning season.
The Hawks posted a 60-50 triumph over visiting Urbandale in a CIML Conference game on Friday, then followed with a 79-48 win over Iowa City Liberty in the State Basketball Crossover event on Saturday afternoon at Waukee. They are now 6-7 in the league and 10-8 overall with three games left in the regular season.
Ankeny already owns victories over two of its remaining opponents–Dowling Catholic and Urbandale. If the Hawks can repeat those wins, they would secure a winning campaign before the start of postseason play.
“We feel very fortunate,” said Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson. “This team has shown a lot of growth this year, and hopefully we’ll continue to get better.”
Rio Aguirre scored 24 points in the win over Iowa City Liberty (2-16). He also had four assists and three steals.
Jasani Campbell tied his career-high with 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting. He has averaged 19.6 points over the last five games.
“He’s definitely getting more comfortable and taking on some challenges we’re giving him,” Carlson said of Campbell. “We’ve asked him to defend other teams’ point guards, and I think he’s rebounding and defending very well, too. It’s nice to see his 3-point shot starting to fall, and I think that’s opening up some other avenues for him. It’s just going to make us harder to defend moving forward this season.”
Dylan Gloviak tied his season-high with eight points. Drew Sorensen added six points and seven rebounds.
Freshman Chase Goodheart led the Lightning with 18 points.
“Liberty has some nice young players,” Carlson said. “(Goodheart) had 16 in the first half, and he made things really hard on us. But I’m pleased with the way the weekend turned out. We’re very relieved to get the two wins.”
On Friday, the Hawks built a 29-21 halftime lead over Urbandale. The J-Hawks closed the gap to 40-39 after three quarters before Ankeny pulled away in the final period.
“Friday was a grind,” Carlson said. “Urbandale played very well and tough in how they defended us with a zone defense. That was a great challenge for us.”
Campbell had 20 points in the win. He made three of the team’s 11 3-point goals.
Aguirre went 3-of-4 from behind the arc and scored 17 points. He also had eight rebounds, nine assists, two blocks and a steal.
“He’s just continuing to grow up and really understanding that he’s the focal point (of opposing defenses), and he’s got to deal with it,” Carlson said of Aguirre. “He’s been very aggressive and finding his open teammates, and that just makes our team better.”
Luke Anderson added nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from deep. He also dished out four assists.
Ankeny will host a conference game against Dowling on Tuesday. The Maroons are 8-6 in the league and 11-6 overall after dropping a 62-52 decision to fifth-ranked Waukee Northwest on Friday.
The Hawks won the first meeting at Dowling, 63-48, on Jan. 31.
