When the week began, the Ankeny boys’ basketball team was No. 7 in the latest Class 4A rankings and appeared to be in good position to earn a top seed for an upcoming substate tournament.
Tuesday’s 58-49 loss at No. 3 Waukee Northwest probably didn’t hurt the Hawks’ resume too much, but Thursday’s 63-54 setback at Urbandale could prove to be more damaging. The unranked J-Hawks completed a sweep of the season series while wrapping up a fourth-place finish in the CIML Conference.
“It was a missed opportunity,” said Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson. “I was proud of our effort, especially the last three quarters. But we just got too far down in the first (period), and you’re not going to catch them.”
While Urbandale finished 9-7 in the league and improved to 10-8 overall, the Hawks’ records dropped to 6-8 and 9-9. They will host a conference game on Friday against Johnston with one more opportunity to make a statement before the substate pairings are announced on Monday.
“We have this game with a chance to improve and two more next week to help us get ready for the postseason,” said Ankeny junior Jasani Campbell.
Campbell returned to Ankeny’s lineup after missing the previous two games due to a right knee injury. He scored all 19 of his points in the second half.
“The first half was rough, but the second half coach kind of got on me a little bit,” Campbell said. “He told me I was hesitating, so I knew I had to step it up. It wasn’t the outcome we wanted, but I was just happy to be back.”
Rio Aguirre had 18 points for Ankeny, which fell behind by double digits in the first quarter and could not get any closer than six points the rest of the way. The Hawks struggled to score against Urbandale’s matchup zone defense.
“It’s long and it’s different,” Carlson said of the zone. “We couldn’t get the ball to our key shooters, and the shots that we did have just wouldn’t go down. It’s frustrating, but what do you do? We have to play again (Friday) so we don’t have any time to sulk about it.”
Jake Pargeon had 21 points and five rebounds for Urbandale, which held a 30-18 lead at halftime. He provided the highlight of the night with a follow-up dunk that gave the J-Hawks a 46-31 advantage in the third quarter.
Quentin Teeter had 18 points and three steals, while Davis Hardersen contributed 17 points and two assists. Caden Burns added seven points and nine rebounds.
Only four players scored for Urbandale, but it was more than enough to come out on top. The J-Hawks shot 44.4 percent from 3-point range (8-of-18).
“When they make shots, they’re really good,” Carlson said. “Our goal was to take away the arc, and we didn’t do it early and we got behind and then you’re playing from behind the whole time.”
Campbell scored 12 of Ankeny’s 18 points in the third quarter. He made a pair of 3-point goals and converted a 3-point play.
Campbell had another and-one with 1 minute 25 seconds left in the game to cut Urbandale’s lead to 59-50. He scored another basket in the final minute to pull his team within 60-54.
“I think he was being careful (in the first half), just making sure his knee was ok,” Carlson said. “It is ok, and I think he’ll be fine the rest of the season. Hopefully, we can bounce back and keep rolling.”
Johnston enters Friday’s game with records of 7-8 in the conference and 10-8 overall. The Dragons extended their winning streak to three games with a 56-45 triumph at Ankeny Centennial on Tuesday.
The Hawks won the first meeting at Johnston, 63-58, on Dec. 9.
