Both the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys’ basketball teams received tough postseason draws from the Iowa High School Athletic Association.
The Class 4A substate pairings were announced on Monday. The Hawks (9-10) are the No. 2 seed in Substate 3, while the Jaguars (7-12) are the No. 3 seed in Substate 2.
Centennial will host a substate quarterfinal against sixth-seeded Fort Dodge (3-17) on Monday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. It will be a rematch of a game from Jan. 10 at Centennial, which was won by the Jaguars, 63-37.
The winner will advance to a semifinal game at second-seeded Urbandale (10-8) on Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. The J-Hawks won both meetings against Centennial during the regular season, 42-39 and 60-39.
Sixth-ranked Ames, which will play at Centennial on Tuesday in its final game of the regular season, is the No. 1 seed in Substate 2. The Little Cyclones (18-2) will host fourth-seeded Mason City (11-10) or fifth-seeded Waterloo West (7-12) in the other semifinal.
The highest remaining seed will host the substate final on Tuesday, March 3 at 7 p.m.
Ankeny, meanwhile, will host a semifinal game on Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. The Hawks will play the winner of a quarterfinal game between third-seeded Iowa City West (11-8) and sixth-seeded Valley (1-19).
Valley is the three-time defending Class 4A champion, but the Tigers will need to pull off an upset to get a third shot at Ankeny. The Hawks swept both earlier meetings against Valley, 58-52 and 72-54.
Fourth-ranked Waukee Northwest is the No. 1 seed in Substate 3. The Wolves (17-4) will host fourth-seeded Indianola (10-9) or fifth-seeded Iowa City Liberty (5-14) in the other semifinal.
The highest remaining seed will host the substate final on Tuesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. If the seedings hold up, the Hawks would play at Northwest for a trip to the state tournament.
The Wolves swept both earlier meetings, 64-45 and 58-49.
