The Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball team turned in one of its best offensive performances of the season on its Senior Night.
The 13th-ranked Jaguars made nine 3-point goals, connected on 21-of-25 free throws and rolled to a 68-49 victory over visiting Ames in a non-conference game on Thursday.
Centennial nearly eclipsed its season-high of 71 points, which was set in a win over Fort Dodge on Jan. 10 and then matched 10 days later against Urbandale. The Jaguars snapped a two-game skid and improved to 9-11 overall while snapping a five-game winning streak for Ames, which dropped to 11-9 on the year.
Centennial never trailed after Lydia Michel opened the game with a 3-pointer. Alana Newman later converted a 3-point play to extend the margin to 13-5 before the Little Cyclones responded with a 6-0 run.
A steal and layup by Victoria Williams pulled Ames to within 13-11, but that was as close as the Little Cyclones could get. The Jaguars used a 9-0 run in the second quarter to build a 26-14 advantage, then Newman later made a 3-pointer to give her team a 38-22 lead at halftime.
Williams had 15 points in the first half, but it wasn’t enough to keep Ames within striking distance. Centennial then used a 25-point third quarter to make it 63-37 heading into the final period.
Lizzie Beam led the Jaguars with 21 points and had six of her team’s 16 steals. She scored 20 or more points for the fifth time this season.
Faith Perpich had a career-high 18 points, 13 of them in the first half. She also dished out four assists.
Michel finished with 10 points, while Rylyn Boeding had six points, 10 rebounds and six steals. Mylie Hatfield added five points and six boards.
Centennial will close out the regular season on Friday by hosting a CIML Conference game against Southeast Polk. The Rams are 0-15 in the league and 3-17 overall after dropping a 72-60 decision to Waukee on Thursday.
The Jaguars won the first meeting at Southeast Polk, 53-41, on Jan. 6.
