The new pieces on the Ankeny boys’ basketball team made their presence felt during Tuesday’s season opener against visiting Valley.
Max Allison, a 7-foot-1 center, had six points, eight rebounds and four blocks in his first varsity start as the Hawks posted a 58-52 victory. Keyon Ford, a sophomore forward, added four points and four steals off the bench.
Cayden Clark, a senior guard, made one of the biggest baskets of the game. The transfer from Ankeny Centennial hit a 3-point goal early in the third quarter to ignite a 20-6 run that erased the Tigers’ 33-26 lead.
“I liked our team’s effort,” said Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson. “I wish we could have been a little more consistent with our rebounding, but we had some new guys playing. Max did a great job, and Cayden did a nice job. Keyon is just a sophomore, but he’s really grown up defensively and rebounding. They’re such great people and they’re very open to learn, and we’ll learn from them too.”
Ankeny’s veterans also played a key role in the win. Rio Aguirre led the way with 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Jasani Campbell chipped in 13 points. Drew Sorensen added eight points and seven rebounds.
“I think it’s going great,” Aguirre said of the team’s developing chemistry. “We all love each other off the court, so that makes a big difference. We have a really good culture.”
Valley entered the game as the three-time defending Class 4A state champion, but the Tigers have a new coach in Brian Ricke and a new roster as well. All-state guard Jayden McGregory elected not to play this season in order to focus on his football career.
The expectations might be considerably lower, but Valley still proved to be a rugged opponent.
“They shot it great tonight,” Aguirre said of the Tigers. “We know the first game coming out every team is going to play well. You have those jitters, and everyone wants to play in front of their friends. We knew it would be a tough one.”
Valley held a 28-24 lead at halftime. The Tigers then took their biggest lead, 33-26, on a 3-pointer by Jayden Adaway early in the second half.
Clark responded with a trey from the left corner to turn the game around. Allison later scored off a rebound to put the Hawks ahead for good, 41-39, with 2 minutes 37 seconds left in the third quarter.
Ford converted a steal into a layup in the final minute of the period to cap Ankeny’s huge run.
“I like to win and then learn at the same time,” Carlson said. “The first game is hard because sometimes we don’t even know how our guys are going to respond. I thought some of our veteran guys were tired and really had to exert a lot of energy, and Valley hit a ton of shots and did a great job. They’re a lot better than people give them credit for. To me, they’re still the defending champs. No matter who is back, they’re still going to feel that way.”
The Tigers hung around until the final minute. Ford scored off a pass from Aguirre with 33 seconds left to give Ankeny a 54-47 lead.
Aguirre, who went 6-of-12 at the free-throw line, missed four straight attempts down the stretch that could have sealed the win a little earlier.
“It was just one of those nights. They were in and out,” said Aguirre, who shot 84.3 percent at the line as a junior. “I’ll pick it up and make them when it matters.”
The Hawks’ uneven performance wasn’t totally unexpected.
“I’m happy with the win. It’s day one of a long season,” Carlson said. “The line we keep giving the guys is, ‘Will you trust each other?’ As you face better and better teams, are you going to trust each other to do what you need to do?”
Ankeny will travel across town on Friday to face Ankeny Centennial in another CIML Conference game. The Jaguars opened their season on Tuesday with a 64-21 loss at Waukee Northwest.
