(Story by Stephen McDaniel)
The Ankeny Centennial boys’ basketball team rode an intense roller coaster of momentum ranging from a double-digit lead to a double-digit deficit.
But it was the squad’s overall response late in the third quarter and early in the final period that powered the Jaguars to a 57-50 road victory Friday that secured their regular season sweep over winless Valley.
“We’re just so proud because we got down by 10 (points) at one point, and my guys just didn’t quit and just kept battling,” said Centennial coach Matt Delger. “We’re just so proud of the effort in the second half.”
After the first quarter, Centennial seemed poised to make quick work of the Tigers in their rematch.
Baskets from sophomore Keaton Kasperbauer and junior Hunter Runchey offset free throws and a bucket from Valley’s Eddie Hybels and Jayden Adaway, which ended up as the Tigers’ only four points of the period.
Runchey sparked a 6-0 run by himself for an eight-point quarter with a Kasperbauer free throw and a Kolby Bechen 3-pointer capping off a 10-0 run to give the Jaguars a 14-4 advantage.
“Our energy was really good, we were hitting shots, making plays for each other and just passing it well,” junior forward Luke Mitchell said of the team’s fast start.
But just as quickly as the Jaguars took control, the Tigers turned the tables.
Hybels and Adaway breathed some life into Valley and helped the Tigers erase the deficit by outscoring Centennial, 15-7, in the second quarter.
Centennial’s lone points of the period came off of buckets from Mitchell and Brody Prill, along with a late 3-pointer from Drew Hansen that helped give the Jaguars a 21-19 lead going into the half.
Valley’s hot streak followed it into the third quarter when Keane Jorgensen and Tyree Williams Jr. made a pair of 3-pointers to spark an 8-0 run.
Despite baskets from Mitchell and Bechen, the Tigers were able to push their lead up to 10 points as they looked to secure the team’s first victory of the season.
“We just had to keep fighting, keep playing as a team and keep connected,” Mitchell said. “The plays that coach Delger was calling out were working well for us, too.”
Kasperbauer and Bechen gave the Jaguars the jolt they needed to turn things around. Kasperbauer drilled a 3-pointer and then Bechen scored on a fast break on back-to-back plays.
Behind those two and Prill, Centennial went on a 14-4 run to close out the third quarter, which included Kasperbauer connecting from deep to tie it at 39-39 heading into the fourth.
Mitchell picked a great time to step up for the Jaguars as he knocked down a triple and scored back-to-back baskets that powered an 11-2 Centennial run to open up the final period.
“(The energy) was insane,” Mitchell said. “Going into the first quarter and the fourth quarter, the runs that we created were great.”
Bechen scored the first bucket of the quarter and Runchey closed out the run to cross into double figures for the game.
Adaway helped the Tigers claw back to a three-point game with under 2 minutes left to play, but Bechen answered by hitting a big 3-pointer to give the Jaguars a 53-47 lead with about 40 seconds remaining.
Valley’s Colton Roemmich sank a corner 3 to pull it back within a possession, but with the Tigers then forced to foul to keep their hopes alive, Centennial knew who to look to for some late free throws.
Runchey was sent to the line twice in the final seconds, and he went 4-for-4 to help seal the win. He now leads Class 4A among players with more than 20 attempts with his 96.6 percent accuracy at the stripe (56-of-58).
“Obviously (Runchey) is the guy we want there, right?” Delger said. “Nothing phases him (at the line), and he’s just automatic.”
Bechen finished with a career-high 15 points, going 6-of-9 from the field and 3-of-5 from behind the arc. He also had four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Runchey contributed 14 points, Mitchell had 11, and Kasperbauer added nine.
“Our scoring tonight had very good balance,” Delger said. “The ball was moving early and multiple guys were attacking.”
Centennial improved to 3-10 in the CIML Conference and 5-10 overall. The Tigers’ records dropped to 0-12 and 0-14.
The Jaguars will now have some time to rest before traveling to Waukee on Friday for another conference matchup against the fourth-ranked Warriors, who extended their winning streak to nine games with a 49-45 victory at No. 3 Dowling Catholic on Friday. They are 9-2 in the league and 13-2 overall.
Waukee won the first meeting at Centennial, 54-46, on Jan. 2.
“We think this (win) is huge for us,” Delger said. “Next week we only play Friday, so we get four days and we just talked to our guys about how we’re looking at it as a unique way to improve midseason. We’ll fine tune some things, change some things, improve some things and get ready for (Waukee).”
