Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Girls' Basketball

Centennial’s Smith to play basketball at Grand View, will be reunited with Murray

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Former teammates Tillie Smith and Cleao Murray will be reunited again in the fall of 2025. Smith, a senior-to-be guard at Ankeny Centennial, has committed to play basketball at Grand View. One of the Vikings' current stars is Murray, who will be a junior this fall. Both Murray and Smith played on the 2021-22 Ankeny Centennial team that posted a 20-4 … [Read more...] about Centennial’s Smith to play basketball at Grand View, will be reunited with Murray

‘It felt like home immediately’: Blackmore commits to play at Western Colorado

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Ankeny Centennial's Finley Blackmore has verbally committed to play basketball at Western Colorado University, an NCAA Division II program that competes in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Blackmore said she picked the Mountaineers over a few other schools. "I went on an unofficial visit last September and fell in love with everything about the … [Read more...] about ‘It felt like home immediately’: Blackmore commits to play at Western Colorado

‘We were real, real close’: Jaguars’ late rally falls short in Class 5A quarterfinals

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Waukee girls' basketball coach Dani Franklin-Printy breathed a sigh of relief on Monday at Wells Fargo Arena. It's never easy to beat a good team three times, and that's what the fourth-ranked Warriors discovered in the Class 5A quarterfinals against CIML Conference rival Ankeny Centennial. The No. 5 Jaguars overcame a 10-point deficit in the second … [Read more...] about ‘We were real, real close’: Jaguars’ late rally falls short in Class 5A quarterfinals

‘We fought as hard as we could’: Jaguars lose heartbreaker to Waukee, 46-44

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Scott DeJong will have to wait until next season to earn his 700th career coaching victory. The fifth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team lost a heartbreaker to No. 4 Waukee, 46-44, in the Class 5A quarterfinals of the state tournament on Monday at Wells Fargo Arena. The Jaguars finished the season with a 14-9 record. "We fought as hard as … [Read more...] about ‘We fought as hard as we could’: Jaguars lose heartbreaker to Waukee, 46-44

Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Ava Martin, Centennial girls’ basketball

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Junior guard Ava Martin has helped the fifth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to a 14-8 record. She scored 10 points on Tuesday as the Jaguars rolled to a 53-25 win over No. 10 Sioux City East in a Class 5A regional final to advance to the state tournament for the fourth consecutive year. Martin is averaging 6.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Ava Martin, Centennial girls’ basketball

State tourney preview: Ankeny Fanatic’s predictions for Class 5A quarterfinals

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The players on the court may not be the only people wearing shorts on Monday at Wells Fargo Arena. With a forecast calling for a high temperature of 75 degrees, it's not going to feel like girls' state basketball tournament weather in Des Moines. But perhaps the unseasonably warm February day will be appropriate--because the action on the court could be … [Read more...] about State tourney preview: Ankeny Fanatic’s predictions for Class 5A quarterfinals

‘Our kids really stepped up’: Jaguars roll past S.C. East, earn another trip to state

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team is headed back to Wells Fargo Arena. The fifth-ranked Jaguars advanced to the state tournament for the fourth consecutive year by defeating No. 10 Sioux City East, 53-25, in a Class 5A regional final on Tuesday at Centennial. This time, coach Scott DeJong's squad didn't have to sweat out a close game in the … [Read more...] about ‘Our kids really stepped up’: Jaguars roll past S.C. East, earn another trip to state

Martin, Crawford lead No. 5 Jaguars past Sioux City North in postseason opener

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Ava Martin wasn't going to let a gash on her head take her out of the lineup for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team. The junior guard made 4-of-7 3-point shots and scored 12 points to help the fifth-ranked Jaguars to a 64-30 victory over visiting Sioux City North in a Class 5A regional semifinal on Saturday. She wore a bandage across her … [Read more...] about Martin, Crawford lead No. 5 Jaguars past Sioux City North in postseason opener

‘It was a hard-fought game’: Jags edge Waukee NW, end regular season at 12-8

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(Story by Gabe Ploeger) In a game that never lacked competitive spirit, the fifth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team closed out the regular season on Friday with a 48-44 victory over visiting Waukee Northwest, the No. 12 squad in Class 5A. The Jaguars outscored Northwest in the fourth quarter, 13-9, to break away from a 35-35 tie. “It … [Read more...] about ‘It was a hard-fought game’: Jags edge Waukee NW, end regular season at 12-8

Crawford avoids major injury, scores 18 points in Jaguars’ victory over S.E. Polk

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Many of the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball fans held their breath when standout guard Mya Crawford suffered an injury Tuesday during a game against visiting Southeast Polk. Crawford hyperextended her knee with 2 minutes 38 seconds left in the second quarter and was helped off the court. "It didn't look good," said Centennial coach Scott DeJong. … [Read more...] about Crawford avoids major injury, scores 18 points in Jaguars’ victory over S.E. Polk

‘We’ve improved’: Centennial girls suffer another close loss to top-4 opponent

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The gauntlet continued on Monday for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team. Facing a top-four opponent for the third time in a week, the fifth-ranked Jaguars got off to a slow start on their home court and eventually dropped a 51-45 decision to No. 3 Dowling Catholic. "We played hard enough, but we've just got to play a little bit better," said … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve improved’: Centennial girls suffer another close loss to top-4 opponent

‘It was a great game’: Jaguars take No. 1 Johnston down to wire before falling

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team has significantly closed the gap on the state's top-ranked squad. The No. 5 Jaguars battled visiting Johnston down to the wire on Friday before dropping a 64-59 decision. The Dragons had won the first meeting, 64-37, on Dec. 12. "It was a great game," said Centennial coach Scott DeJong. "Our team has really … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great game’: Jaguars take No. 1 Johnston down to wire before falling

Waukee girls lead from start to finish, snap Jaguars’ 6-game winning streak

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The fifth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team just couldn't get over the hump on Tuesday at No. 4 Waukee. The Warriors scored the game's first seven points and led all the way en route to a 60-53 victory. The loss snapped Centennial's six-game winning streak. "We didn't come out well at all, and it was disappointing," said Centennial coach … [Read more...] about Waukee girls lead from start to finish, snap Jaguars’ 6-game winning streak

Martin’s big first half sparks Centennial girls to 47-25 victory over Urbandale

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On most nights, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team can rely on double-figure scoring from the duo of Mya Crawford and Jaeden Pratt. Against visiting Urbandale on Thursday, the fifth-ranked Jaguars got an unexpected spark from junior guard Ava Martin. Martin scored 13 of her 15 points in the first half and also grabbed seven rebounds to lead … [Read more...] about Martin’s big first half sparks Centennial girls to 47-25 victory over Urbandale

Jaguars avenge earlier loss to Valley, extend their winning streak to 5 games

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The last time the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team played CIML Conference rival Valley, the Jaguars simply couldn't find the bottom of the net. Tuesday's rematch at Valley was a different story. Fifth-ranked Centennial pulled away in the second half for a 40-30 victory over the No. 9 Tigers. The win avenged last month's 35-24 loss, when the … [Read more...] about Jaguars avenge earlier loss to Valley, extend their winning streak to 5 games

‘Our rebounding was really good’: Jags dominate boards in victory at S.E. Polk

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A fast start ignited the fifth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to a 51-40 win at No. 11 Southeast Polk on Friday. The Jaguars jumped out to an 18-2 lead at the end of the first quarter and eventually built a 44-23 advantage after three periods. They cruised to their fourth straight victory. "It's never an easy place to play, and they … [Read more...] about ‘Our rebounding was really good’: Jags dominate boards in victory at S.E. Polk

‘We finished it out strong’: Centennial girls hold off Wolves’ rally for road victory

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It's never easy to win on the road. The sixth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team built a 17-point lead and then held off a furious rally by No. 12 Waukee Northwest to escape with a 52-45 road victory on Tuesday. The Wolves, who never led, closed the gap to 44-42 in the fourth quarter before Centennial ended the game with an 8-3 … [Read more...] about ‘We finished it out strong’: Centennial girls hold off Wolves’ rally for road victory

Centennial girls pull away from No. 3 North Polk, head into 2024 with 5-5 mark

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team may have turned its season around prior to the holiday break. After ending a five-game losing streak with a win over their crosstown rival three nights earlier, the sixth-ranked Jaguars evened their overall record at 5-5 with a 58-43 victory over visiting North Polk in a non-conference game on Dec. 22. "We … [Read more...] about Centennial girls pull away from No. 3 North Polk, head into 2024 with 5-5 mark