(Story by Jordan Wood)
Not to be overshadowed by the earlier news of a substate No. 2 seed, the Ankeny boys’ basketball team bounced back from a humbling 0-3 week to dominate visiting Dallas Center-Grimes, 78-51, in a non-conference game on Monday.
The result won’t do much for their standing as they approach the postseason, but it is likely to give the Hawks (10-10) a much-needed confidence boost after last week’s struggles.
“The seeding is what it is,” said Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson. “We didn’t win enough games at the end of the day, but our guys will compete hard here and put as many games as we can together.”
Almost exactly a year after Ankeny’s 76-69 loss to Dallas Center-Grimes in a Class 4A substate semifinal last season, the thought of revenge may have added fuel to the fire in the Hawks’ victory this time around.
Jasani Campbell stormed through the Mustangs’ defense in the first quarter, pouring in 13 points in the first 5 minutes while leading his team to a 25-14 lead at the end of the period.
The junior guard was playing in his third game after missing a pair of contests due to a right knee injury. He went on to score a career-high 23 points on perfect 9-of-9 shooting from the field, including 4-of-4 from 3-point range.
“He’s been a really high-level player for us this whole year,” Carlson said. “I think he’s an all-state level player, no question about it, and we’re excited he’s on our team.”
The hot start on offense may have given Ankeny the lead, but it was the defense that created daylight in the second quarter, forcing turnovers and storming back up the court in transition for some easy baskets. The relentless pressure resulted in a 45-19 halftime lead for the Hawks.
“We came out with a good mindset and just started getting fast breaks and played our game,” said Campbell, who also had four assists and five steals. “That was a good confidence booster. When I got hurt, it took a little bit to get my confidence again, but now I’m playing. I’m back feeling really confident.”
Campbell had 17 points in the first half, nearly matching the Mustangs’ total. Ankeny’s lead could have been even bigger, but the Hawks made just 1-of-5 free throws before the break.
With the fans in the gym buzzing from an enthralling half, the Hawks had a clear path in front of them in the back end of the game.
The third quarter started slowly for both teams as an air of hesitancy could be sensed coming out of the break. Once the first points were made a few minutes into the period, the offense picked up for both squads and Dallas Center-Grimes managed to close the gap a little bit to 62-39 heading into the fourth.
The final period looked very much like the Hawks entered cruise control. Carlson eventually subbed out his starters with 1 minutes 43 seconds to go.
The loss ended a four-game winning streak for Dallas Center-Grimes. The Mustangs dropped to 12-8 on the season.
Ankeny shot 64 percent for the game (32-of-50), including 52.2 percent from deep (12-of-23). Rio Aguirre had 18 points, six rebounds and 10 assists for the Hawks, Drew Sorensen chipped in nine points and five assists, and Kael Roush added eight points in 10 minutes of action off the bench.
The Hawks will close out the regular season on Thursday by hosting third-ranked Dowling Catholic in their CIML Conference finale. The Maroons are 13-2 in the league and 18-2 overall after winning their last five games, including a 63-53 triumph over Ankeny on Feb. 6.
Dowling can tie No. 2 Waukee and No. 4 Waukee Northwest for the conference title with a victory. Those two teams have already completed league play at 14-2.
Perhaps Monday’s win could lead to another on Thursday that would give the Hawks some serious momentum heading into the postseason.
