Ankeny Fanatic

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Girls' Basketball

‘I’m proud of these girls’: Hawkettes fall short against Valley in regional final

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When Karsen Jacks made a tough shot in the lane with 3 minutes 4 seconds left in Tuesday's Class 5A regional final, the Ankeny girls' basketball team appeared to be on the verge of qualifying for the state tournament for the first time since the split into two high schools in 2013. Jacks' basket gave the eighth-ranked Hawkettes a 34-29 lead over visiting … [Read more...] about ‘I’m proud of these girls’: Hawkettes fall short against Valley in regional final

Hawkettes roll past C.R. Kennedy, will host Valley for trip to state tournament

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For the fourth year in a row, the Ankeny girls' basketball team is just one win away from a trip to the state tournament. This time, the Hawkettes will get to host the regional final. Eighth-ranked Ankeny opened postseason play on Saturday with a 58-40 victory over visiting Cedar Rapids Kennedy in a Class 5A regional semifinal. The Cougars finished the … [Read more...] about Hawkettes roll past C.R. Kennedy, will host Valley for trip to state tournament

Hawkettes rally past Valley in 4th period, lock up No. 1 seed in Class 5A Region 8

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The eighth-ranked Ankeny girls' basketball team traveled to Valley on Friday for its regular-season finale and handed the No. 9 Tigers a damaging loss. An injury to standout post player Elise Jaeger could spell even more trouble for Valley with postseason play starting next week. Jaeger, a Northern Iowa recruit, scored 10 points before leaving the game … [Read more...] about Hawkettes rally past Valley in 4th period, lock up No. 1 seed in Class 5A Region 8

Regional pairings announced: Ankeny’s No. 1 seed could be at stake on Friday

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team has earned a No. 1 seed in Class 5A regional play. Ankeny was also awarded a No. 1 seed in Region 8 by the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union, but the eighth-ranked Hawkettes may need to win at No. 9 Valley on Friday to earn the right to host a regional final. After receiving a first-round bye, Ankeny … [Read more...] about Regional pairings announced: Ankeny’s No. 1 seed could be at stake on Friday

Jacks ties her career-high with 30 points, leads Hawkettes to win at Urbandale

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Karsen Jacks tied her career-high with 30 points to lead the Ankeny girls' basketball team to a 66-38 victory at Urbandale on Tuesday. Jacks, who made 11-of-16 shots from the field, also scored 30 points in an overtime win against then-No. 6 Cedar Falls on Nov. 21. "I was just taking what the defense was giving me," said Jacks, who also had seven … [Read more...] about Jacks ties her career-high with 30 points, leads Hawkettes to win at Urbandale

Hawkettes put huge scare into No. 1 Johnston before upset bid falls short

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The Ankeny girls' basketball team had nothing to lose on Monday night. It nearly resulted in a massive upset. The eighth-ranked Hawkettes put a huge scare into No. 1 Johnston before the visiting Dragons, who are ranked 20th in the nation by ESPN, scored the last six points of the game to hold on for a 62-52 victory. "It was nice to see our girls … [Read more...] about Hawkettes put huge scare into No. 1 Johnston before upset bid falls short

Johnson outduels Winkel in shootout, leads Ankeny boys past No. 8 Centennial

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Two of the state's best boys' basketball players put on a dazzling display Friday at the Ankeny gym. Only one of them walked away with a victory. Ankeny's Carson Johnson poured in 38 points to offset a career-high 37 from Ankeny Centennial's Luke Winkel and the Hawks avenged an earlier loss with a 76-63 win. "It's always a great rivalry," said … [Read more...] about Johnson outduels Winkel in shootout, leads Ankeny boys past No. 8 Centennial

‘She’s a clutch player’: Blackmore’s late trey seals Jaguars’ win over Ankeny

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There's something about the Ankeny girls' basketball team that brings out the best in Ankeny Centennial's Finley Blackmore. The fifth-ranked Jaguars were clinging to a 47-45 lead on Friday at No. 8 Ankeny when Blackmore, a junior guard, made a 3-point goal from the left corner with 1 minute 15 seconds left. Her squad went on to post a 53-45 … [Read more...] about ‘She’s a clutch player’: Blackmore’s late trey seals Jaguars’ win over Ankeny

Here are Ankeny Fanatic’s predictions for the Jag-Hawk basketball rematches

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Round 2 of the Jag-Hawk basketball showdowns will be held on Friday at Ankeny, where Ankeny Centennial will try to complete a sweep of both the boys' and girls' series for the fourth time ever. Bragging rights will be at stake along with positioning in the CIML Conference. The winner of the boys' game will own sole possession of third place in the league … [Read more...] about Here are Ankeny Fanatic’s predictions for the Jag-Hawk basketball rematches

‘We just found our groove’: Gage’s late heroics lift Ankeny girls past Wolves

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Savannah Gage and the Ankeny girls' basketball team have found their mojo. Gage scored 11 consecutive points over the final 2 minutes 55 seconds and the ninth-ranked Hawkettes held off No. 10 Waukee Northwest, 50-45, in a CIML Conference game on Friday at Ankeny. The win snapped a two-game losing skid for Ankeny, which had shot just 20.7 percent … [Read more...] about ‘We just found our groove’: Gage’s late heroics lift Ankeny girls past Wolves

‘There was some progress’: Hawkettes remain upbeat despite loss to Dowling

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Nate Tobey still has confidence in his Ankeny girls' basketball team. The seventh-ranked Hawkettes dropped a third consecutive game on their home court Tuesday, when they suffered a 56-27 loss to No. 3 Dowling Catholic. The defeat followed a 55-29 loss to No. 12 Southeast Polk on Friday. "I think for us it's just a matter of getting some scoring and … [Read more...] about ‘There was some progress’: Hawkettes remain upbeat despite loss to Dowling

‘Our offense just totally disappeared’: Hawkettes fizzle out in 2nd half vs. SEP

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A long basketball season can often include both peaks and valleys--sometimes just a few days apart. That was the case last week for the seventh-ranked Ankeny girls' team, which followed up Tuesday's 46-35 win at Class 4A No. 1 Dallas Center-Grimes with a disappointing 55-29 loss on its home court Friday to No. 12 Southeast Polk. The Rams avenged last … [Read more...] about ‘Our offense just totally disappeared’: Hawkettes fizzle out in 2nd half vs. SEP

Hawkettes rely on defensive pressure to hand No. 1 DC-Grimes its 2nd loss

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The Ankeny girls' basketball team held Dallas Center-Grimes to just 33.3 percent shooting and handed the Mustangs their second loss of the season on Tuesday. The seventh-ranked Hawkettes posted a 46-35 win in the non-conference game at Dallas Center-Grimes, the No. 1 team in Class 4A. The Mustangs converted just 13-of-39 shots. "DCG played really well, … [Read more...] about Hawkettes rely on defensive pressure to hand No. 1 DC-Grimes its 2nd loss

Here are key games that could decide CIML Conference basketball titles

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The race for the CIML Conference basketball titles will likely be decided by a handful of games over the next few weeks. In the boys' race, sixth-ranked Ankeny Centennial might be the only remaining contender that could prevent No. 5 Waukee from running away with the crown. The Warriors are 9-0 in the league with seven games left, while Centennial (6-2) … [Read more...] about Here are key games that could decide CIML Conference basketball titles