There was no letdown for the second-ranked Waukee Northwest boys’ basketball team.
After handing No. 3 Dowling Catholic its first loss of the season on Tuesday, the Wolves traveled to Ankeny Centennial on Friday and posted a 66-39 victory to complete a sweep of the season series.
The Jaguars, though, put up more of a fight than they did on Dec. 2, when they opened the season with a 64-21 loss at Northwest.
“I think we definitely (improved),” said Centennial coach Matt Delger. “I was just real proud of how our guys came out fearless and attacked them. I thought our guys executed the game plan very well. It’s just Northwest hit big shots. They’ve got a lot of talent.”
The Wolves built a 13-4 lead after one quarter and held a 27-16 advantage at halftime. They extended the margin to 49-30 after three periods.
Northwest shot 54.3 percent from the field (25-of-46). The Wolves made 9-of-20 3-point attempts (45 percent).
Coming off a 34-point game against Dowling, Colin Rice led Northwest with 17 points. The Nebraska recruit also had seven rebounds and four steals.
Nash Kooken had 13 points for the Wolves, while Isaiah Oliver added 12 points and five assists. Illinois commit Landon Davis had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds while also contributing seven assists and five blocks.
“Their balance makes it tough,” Delger said. “It’s hard for you to focus on Rice because they can (beat) you in a lot of ways. They’ve got a nice roster that makes it really tough.”
Northwest improved to 9-0 in the CIML Conference and 10-1 overall. The Jaguars’ records dropped to 2-8 and 3-8.
Hunter Runchey led Centennial with 17 points, going 8-of-8 at the free-throw line. He remains perfect at the stripe for the season, having made 46 consecutive attempts.
“He did a really good job,” Delger said. “He went right at some of those physical defenders and was scoring it really well.”
Luke Mitchell added eight points and five rebounds for the Jaguars, who shot just 30.2 percent (13-of-43) and were outrebounded by a 31-14 margin. Keaton Kasperbauer dished out five assists, and Kolby Bechen had a pair of steals.
Centennial will play a non-conference game on Monday at Dallas Center-Grimes. The Mustangs are 6-4 on the season after dropping a 53-46 decision on Friday to Pella, the No. 5 team in Class 3A.
The Jaguars will then host No. 9 Urbandale on Tuesday before traveling to Dowling on Friday to face the Maroons.
“It’s a big week for sure,” Delger said. “We’re trying to get some rest and make sure we’re healthy through that stretch. You just take it one game at a time, and it’ll test our guys to get re-focused for the next (opponent).”
