Ava Martin tied her career-high with 20 points and the fourth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball team posted a 51-47 victory over No. 5 Pleasant Valley in a Class 5A quarterfinal on Monday at Wells Fargo Arena.
Mya Crawford and Jaeden Pratt each scored 10 points and dished out five assists for the Jaguars (17-7), who built a 20-point lead late in the third quarter and then held off a furious rally by Pleasant Valley (19-5). Pratt also grabbed 11 rebounds while Crawford had eight, helping their team to a 30-20 advantage on the boards.
Martin made her first six shots from 3-point range before missing her last two attempts in the final period, one of which was blocked by Pleasant Valley’s Hailey Asselin. She also had four of Centennial’s 10 steals.
“It feels so good (to advance),” said Martin. “I’m so happy.”
The Jaguars will play No. 1 Johnston (24-0), the defending champion, in Thursday’s semifinals at 10 a.m. The Dragons won both meetings during the regular season.
Check back later for complete coverage of the game.
