(Story by Stephen McDaniel)
The Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball team couldn’t have possibly asked for a better start to the new year.
The Jaguars harnessed a total team effort coming out of the holiday break and kicked off the 2026 portion of their schedule by defeating 13th-ranked Waukee, 61-48, on Friday night at Centennial.
“That’s the perfect way to win,” said Centennial coach Chris Harken. “We responded to how we’ve been practicing these past couple of weeks. A great effort by the girls throughout those weeks and it showed tonight. I was proud that what I see during practice, the community was able to see during this game tonight.”
Through the first couple of games this season, the Jaguars relied on junior Lizzie Beam and freshman Faith Perpich to do some heavy lifting when it came to scoring the ball.
The Centennial guard duo came through once again, but it was the support around them that helped the Jaguars win a game where they never trailed at any point.
“Everything was just clicking,” Beam said. “There wasn’t a rough patch (during the game), we were just playing really well together.”
Lydia Michel was one of the key pieces that stepped up in a big way for the Jaguars.
Michel recorded 10 total points across the team’s first five games, but the sophomore guard/forward nearly matched that total in just the fourth quarter while finishing the night with a career-high 14 points.
“It was good,” Michel said. “I was really happy with my 3-pointers, getting back in transition for easy layups and getting to the rim was all really good. I was proud of myself for standing up.”
Michel knocked down the first of her three 3-pointers before halftime and added to her total with some trips to the free-throw line in the third quarter before powering the Jaguars in the fourth quarter.
Michel made a 3-pointer to give Centennial a 52-35 lead in the final period. She then proceeded to score the Jaguars’ next six points for a nine-point fourth quarter to help them clinch the victory.
“Waukee is a really good team, and we knew they have sparks,” Harken said. “Like they start the game off pretty hot and they end the game pretty hot, so it’s weathering the storm in that situation. Having (Michel) step up and have that confidence as she was hitting shots was tremendous for this team.”
Alana Newman has been one of the young players continually growing in her role as the freshman forward started her second game of the season and provided a big spark for the Jaguars down low in the first half.
Newman accounted for two of Centennial’s first four buckets of the game and ended the first half with six points. She opened up the second half by scoring the Jaguars’ first basket to finish the night with eight points.
Much like Michel, Newman came into the game with just nine total points through the first five games before nearly doubling her season output against the Warriors.
“It’s great to have Alana, in that starting position, to start taking a little bit of ownership in how she plays,” Harken said. “Getting into that post work and trying to get some rebounds.”
The Jaguars saw juniors Lauren Kenney and Maddie Hoffman both score their first baskets of the season. That helped offset the absence of Centennial starters Rylyn Boeding and Maizie Smith, who both sat out due to injuries.
Kenney drained a 3-pointer from the corner right before halftime to give Centennial its 29-19 lead going into the locker room. Hoffman found herself with an open layup late in the third quarter as a result of the Jaguars beating a full-court press attempt by Waukee.
Senior guard Mylie Hatfield also got involved with the scoring after hitting her first 3-pointer of the season during the third quarter. She also contributed seven rebounds and six assists.
Michel, meanwhile, went 4-of-5 from the field, including 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
“I was really proud of myself and proud of the team for just bringing each other together, helping others get open, contributing to the offense and coming together for the win,” Michel said.
With plenty of help around them, Centennial’s top two leading scorers in Beam and Perpich were able to score with less weight on their shoulders.
Beam has yet to score under double figures this season, and she recorded her second straight game with 20 or more points on Friday. After pouring in a career-high 21 points during a loss to Valley before the holiday break, she led the Jaguars with 20 points against Waukee.
Beam also had seven rebounds, four assists and three steals as Centennial improved its record to 2-4 in the CIML Conference. The Warriors dropped to 1-5 in the league and 1-7 overall.
“It’s great to see progress and our work finally paying off,” Beam said.
Perpich scored in double figures for the third time this season and tied her season-high of 11 points. She added four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The turnaround for the Jaguars is very quick as they travel to face Class 4A No. 3 Norwalk in a non-conference game on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Warriors are 7-1 on the season.
“It’s the ‘one game at a time’ mentality,” Harken said. “We have a quick turnaround, so it’s great to have this (win) and use that momentum (going into the Norwalk game). It is a new day for both teams, so we’ve got to make sure we use this and utilize it to continue the momentum.”
