Jaguars hold off Roosevelt, can reach .500 mark with victory at Waukee on Friday

Ankeny Centennial’s Lizzie Beam (right) celebrates a basket by the Jaguars with teammate Rylyn Boeding during Monday’s game against visiting Des Moines Roosevelt. Beam scored 19 points to lead Centennial to a 52-46 win in the non-conference game. (Photo by Jerrad Downer)

The Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball team has had two previous chances to reach the .500 mark for the season.

Now, the 12th-ranked Jaguars will get another opportunity to even their record.

Centennial used a fast start to post a 52-46 victory over visiting Des Moines Roosevelt in a non-conference game on Monday. The Jaguars are now 8-9 heading into Friday’s CIML Conference game at Waukee, a team they defeated earlier this season.

**Ankeny Centennial’s Alana Newman drives to the basket during Monday’s game. (Photo by Jerrad Downer)**

“We came out well offensively, starting off with a 12-3 lead,” said Centennial coach Chris Harken.

The Jaguars built a 21-12 margin by the end of the first quarter. Lizzie Beam scored nine of her 19 points in the opening period, Rylyn Boeding had six of her career-high 18, and Faith Perpich added six of her 11.

The two teams traded baskets in the second quarter, which ended with Centennial holding a 32-20 advantage at halftime. The Roughriders (12-6) got some momentum before the break when a steal by Malaina Hackley led to a buzzer-beating layup by Savanna Kual.

Roosevelt then relied on its defensive pressure to close the gap in the second half, when the Jaguars committed many of their 13 turnovers. The Roughriders pulled to within five points with 4 minutes left before Centennial made five free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

**Ankeny Centennial’s Lauren Kenney (left) and Faith Perpich battle for a loose ball with Des Moines Roosevelt’s Judy Bokhary during Monday’s game. (Photo by Jerrad Downer)**

Roosevelt connected on a 3-point goal with 5 seconds remaining to narrow the final margin. It was the 10th trey of the night for the Roughriders, while Centennial had just one.

“We struggled against their pressure in the second half, and that allowed Roosevelt to stay in the game,” Harken said. “We only scored 20 points after halftime, and they went on some runs with some hot shooting outside the arc. But we were able to hang on.”

Beam scored in double figures for the 15th time in 17 games. She also had nine rebounds, five assists and a block.

**Ankeny Centennial’s Rylyn Boeding scores two of her career-high 18 points during Monday’s game. She went 8-of-14 from the field. (Photo by Jerrad Downer)**

Boeding went 8-of-14 from the field and surpassed her previous career-high of 17, which she set in Friday’s win at No. 7 Valley. She also contributed four steals.

The Jaguars will next travel to Waukee looking to sweep the season series against the Warriors. They won the first meeting, 61-48, on Jan. 2.

Waukee is 2-9 in the league and 3-12 overall after dropping its last four games. The Warriors will host No. 2 Waukee Northwest on Tuesday before the rematch against Centennial.