(Story by Stephen McDaniel)
The Ankeny boys’ basketball team just couldn’t get a shot to fall when they needed it the most on a night where the ball didn’t have many issues finding the hoop.
The Hawks were on their way to pulling off a fourth-quarter comeback on Tuesday when a scoring drought in the final 5 minutes aided visiting Urbandale in claiming a 71-63 win despite a career-high 33 points from senior Rio Aguirre.
“We played really hard, and we did some good things,” said Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson. “I wasn’t really nervous about them shooting well and making a ton of shots. A lot of times, teams cool off and they did. We had them where we wanted them, had it cut to one (point), had the ball and it just came down to one or two plays.”
The two teams combined for 24 3-point goals, including six in a row to open the game. Aguirre made the first two of his seven treys on the night before sophomore Keyon Ford broke up the streak by scoring through a foul and converting at the line.
Most of Urbandale’s offense in the first half came from beyond the arc, and senior Jake Pargeon was the one to lead the way.
Pargeon has played a big role in helping the J-Hawks rebound from an 0-2 start by leading them on a six-game winning streak. He averaged 14 points per game in the previous five games before pouring in 30 points on Tuesday.
Urbandale knocked down nine 3-pointers in the first half alone, which helped the J-Hawks stay a step ahead of Ankeny. Pargeon finished the half with 14 points.
“It was a really fun CIML (Conference) game,” Carlson said. “Pargeon went for a bunch in the first half. It was just a fun game to watch.”
Ankeny had the perfect counter to Pargeon with Aguirre having one of his best games during his tenure as a Hawk.
Aguirre surpassed his previous career-high of 30 points, which he set in last year’s season opener at Valley and then later matched in a loss to Waukee Northwest.
The two early 3-pointers set the tone for Aguirre, who went on to make four treys in the first quarter while scoring 14 of his team’s 23 points. He made a fifth 3-pointer at the start of the second period for a 17-point first half.
“It’s what he’s always done,” Carlson said of Aguirre’s performance. “I’m proud of his effort to be a great teammate and be a great leader for us. I feel really strongly that he’s going to continue to get better as well. He’s passing the ball, rebounding it, defending it, all the things he needs to do.”
Aguirre tacked on five more points in the third quarter before giving Ankeny the spark it needed to attempt a comeback from a double-digit deficit in the final period.
On the very first shot of the fourth quarter, Aguirre sank his sixth 3-pointer while drawing a foul on Pargeon. A converted free throw for a four-point play gave the Hawks the jolt they needed.
Ankeny rattled off a 12-3 run capped off by senior Kael Roush sinking a corner three to cut the J-Hawks’ lead to 61-60 with nearly 5 minutes left to play.
“(Rio) is an all-state level of player, and we’re really glad he’s on our team,” Carlson said. “I know our other teammates want to get better and get balanced overall.”
But with two different opportunities to take the lead for the first time in the game, the Hawks turned the ball over and couldn’t get their outside shots to fall. That allowed Urbandale to pull away again down the stretch.
Ankeny’s lone field goal following Roush’s 3-pointer came at the very end of the game when he made another 3-pointer from the logo before the buzzer sounded.
Jasani Campbell finished with 11 points for the Hawks, while Roush chipped in eight points and seven rebounds. Drew Sorensen added five assists and three steals.
“I’m proud of our guys for how they’re kind of coming out of that complacency shell,” Carlson said. “I’m proud of our guys for their willingness to compete. We’re going to keep getting better and I really believe that. (Urbandale) is a very good team, a well-coached team, and a talented group of guys.”
Pargeon matched Aguirre with his 11-of-16 shooting night, including 4-of-6 from behind the arc. As a team, the J-Hawks went 13-of-24 from 3-point range.
Urbandale’s Davis Hardersen had 13 points and five assists. Quentin Teeter contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
The J-Hawks, who handed fifth-ranked Ames its first loss on Monday, improved to 5-2 in the league and 6-2 overall. Ankeny’s records dropped to 3-3 and 4-4.
The Hawks have lost their last three conference games–all of them at home–and they’ll try to break that streak on Friday, when No. 2 Waukee Northwest comes to town. The Wolves are 6-0 in the league and 7-1 overall after suffering their first loss, 74-69, to No. 1 Cedar Falls on Saturday at Cedar Rapids.
“I’m a big believer that win or lose, you have to forget when you go to bed and wake up the next day with the mindset to continue to get better,” Carlson said. “It’s a long season, and the game you always remember is the last one. This one hurts, but at the same time we need to use it to continue to get better and find a way to compete with one of the best teams in the state.”
