The Class 5A girls’ regional basketball pairings were announced on Thursday afternoon by the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union.
Fifth-ranked Ankeny (13-7) is the top seed in Region 5 and will host a semifinal game on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. The Hawkettes will play the winner of Wednesday’s game between Sioux City North (5-16) and Sioux City West (2-16).
No. 12 Sioux City East (15-4) will host Council Bluffs Lincoln (12-8) in the other semifinal game. The highest remaining ranked team will host the regional final on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.
No. 13 Ankeny Centennial, meanwhile, is the second seed in Region 4. The Jaguars (8-11) will host a semifinal game against Des Moines Roosevelt (16-6) on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.
That game will be a rematch of a contest on Feb. 2 at Centennial, which was won by the Jaguars, 52-46.
No. 4 Cedar Falls (16-4) is the top seed in Region 4. The Tigers will host Dubuque Hempstead (4-16) or Davenport North (0-18) in the other semifinal game.
The highest remaining ranked team will host the regional final on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.
While Ankeny is seeking its first trip to the state tournament since the split into two high schools, Centennial is looking to qualify for the sixth consecutive year. It would be the Jaguars’ first appearance under coach Chris Harken, who took over the program after Scott DeJong retired at the end of last season.
The last time Centennial failed to advance to state came in the 2019-20 season, when the Jaguars dropped a 51-41 decision at Cedar Falls in a regional final.
