Ankeny Fanatic

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Girls' Basketball

Williams, Beam earn multiple all-state honors; Kiene, ACA’s Davis also honored

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Ankeny standout Jayla Williams has earned all-state girls' basketball honors for the third consecutive year, while teammate Ainsley Kiene and Lizzie Beam of Ankeny Centennial were both honored for the first time. Williams, a senior guard, was named to the Class 5A first team by the Iowa Girls' Coaches Association and the Iowa Print Sports Writers … [Read more...] about Williams, Beam earn multiple all-state honors; Kiene, ACA’s Davis also honored

Ankeny’s Williams, Centennial’s Beam named to CIML Conference first team

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Ankeny girls' basketball star Jayla Williams has been named to the CIML Conference first team along with Ankeny Centennial standout Lizzie Beam. Williams was a first-team pick for the third consecutive year after earning third-team honors as a freshman. She was also a unanimous selection. Williams, a senior guard, led the Hawkettes to a semifinal … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Williams, Centennial’s Beam named to CIML Conference first team

No. 1 Johnston pulls away after slow start, ends Jags’ season for 3rd time in 4 years

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When the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team got a 3-point goal from Faith Perpich to cut Johnston's lead to 17-12 with 3 minutes left in the second quarter of a Class 5A quarterfinal on Monday, the 12th-ranked Jaguars had reason to believe that they might be able to pull off the biggest upset in the history of the state tournament. "It felt really … [Read more...] about No. 1 Johnston pulls away after slow start, ends Jags’ season for 3rd time in 4 years

‘They deserved this win’: Jaguars knock off No. 4 Cedar Falls, qualify for state tourney

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball program made a habit of advancing to the state tournament under Scott DeJong. It appears the Jaguars' tradition will continue without the legendary coach. Twelfth-ranked Centennial used a 7-0 run in the first 2 minutes of the fourth quarter to post a 40-35 victory at No. 4 Cedar Falls in a Class 5A regional final … [Read more...] about ‘They deserved this win’: Jaguars knock off No. 4 Cedar Falls, qualify for state tourney

‘We’ve just shown so much growth’: Jags roll past Roosevelt, earn trip to Cedar Falls

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) It’s one thing to beat a good team during the regular season, but it’s a completely different thing to repeat that success against the same squad in the postseason with your season on the line. The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team was able to do it, and now the 12th-ranked Jaguars are one win away from returning to … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve just shown so much growth’: Jags roll past Roosevelt, earn trip to Cedar Falls

Beam, Perpich combine for 48 points in Jaguars’ win to close out regular season

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Lizzie Beam and Faith Perpich have formed a great 1-2 punch for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team over the course of the season. The junior and freshman guard tandem combined forces to help lead the Jaguars to their second straight victory to close out the regular season. Beam scored a game-high 26 points and … [Read more...] about Beam, Perpich combine for 48 points in Jaguars’ win to close out regular season

Jaguars roll past Ames on Senior Night, will host S.E. Polk to close out season

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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 … [Read more...] about Jaguars roll past Ames on Senior Night, will host S.E. Polk to close out season

HOME COOKIN’: Hawkettes earn top seed in Region 5, Jags will also host semifinal

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The Class 5A girls' regional basketball pairings were announced on Thursday afternoon by the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union. Fifth-ranked Ankeny (13-7) is the top seed in Region 5 and will host a semifinal game on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. The Hawkettes will play the winner of Wednesday's game between Sioux City North (5-16) and Sioux City West … [Read more...] about HOME COOKIN’: Hawkettes earn top seed in Region 5, Jags will also host semifinal

‘They’re ranked No. 1 for a reason’: Jaguars suffer 72-32 loss to two-time champions

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For the first 8 minutes on Tuesday, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team executed its game plan perfectly. But an opponent like top-ranked Johnston, which entered the night with a 70-game winning streak, eventually has an answer for everything. After leading by just 8-6 after the first quarter, the visiting Dragons then erupted for 28 points in … [Read more...] about ‘They’re ranked No. 1 for a reason’: Jaguars suffer 72-32 loss to two-time champions

‘We didn’t expect their intensity’: Waukee girls top No. 11 Centennial to avenge loss

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(Story by Jordan Wood) Heading into Friday's game at Waukee, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team was looking to sweep the season series while reaching the .500 mark for the first time this season. Having fallen short on their past two chances at evening their record, the 11th-ranked Jaguars looked to clinch it against an opponent they had … [Read more...] about ‘We didn’t expect their intensity’: Waukee girls top No. 11 Centennial to avenge loss

Jaguars hold off Roosevelt, can reach .500 mark with victory at Waukee on Friday

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team has had two previous chances to reach the .500 mark for the season. Now, the 12th-ranked Jaguars will get another opportunity to even their record. Centennial used a fast start to post a 52-46 victory over visiting Des Moines Roosevelt in a non-conference game on Monday. The Jaguars are now 8-9 heading into … [Read more...] about Jaguars hold off Roosevelt, can reach .500 mark with victory at Waukee on Friday

‘We’ve seen tremendous growth’: Jaguars avenge earlier 29-point loss to Valley

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) There has been a night and day difference between the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team that started the season and the one that’s now pushing for a top-10 ranking. Valley found out first hand just how much the 12th-ranked Jaguars have grown since their first meeting in mid-December. Centennial led nearly the … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve seen tremendous growth’: Jaguars avenge earlier 29-point loss to Valley

‘We just saw a lot of growth’: Jaguars keep it close for a half against No. 3 Dowling

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team took a lot of positives away from Tuesday's game at Dowling Catholic. After dropping a 79-38 decision to the third-ranked Maroons on Dec. 9, No. 11 Centennial traveled to West Des Moines for the rematch and trailed by just two points at halftime before Dowling pulled away for a 51-26 victory. "We set some … [Read more...] about ‘We just saw a lot of growth’: Jaguars keep it close for a half against No. 3 Dowling

‘Their defense caused us some fits’: No. 8 North Polk girls pull away from Centennial

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Visiting North Polk pulled away in the third quarter and went on to post a 56-42 victory over Ankeny Centennial in a matchup of rated girls' basketball teams on Saturday. The Comets, who are ranked eighth in Class 4A, extended their winning streak to nine games while raising their record to 14-2. Centennial, the No. 11 team in Class 5A, dropped to 6-8 on … [Read more...] about ‘Their defense caused us some fits’: No. 8 North Polk girls pull away from Centennial

‘My shot felt good’: Beam scores 27 points in Jaguars’ rout over Urbandale girls

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Just a few days ago, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team struggled to get shots to fall in a 16-point loss to second-ranked Waukee Northwest. The No. 14 Jaguars had no such issues Tuesday night against visiting Urbandale. Centennial connected on its first six shots of the game and proceeded to blow out the … [Read more...] about ‘My shot felt good’: Beam scores 27 points in Jaguars’ rout over Urbandale girls

‘We just couldn’t get our shots to fall’: Centennial girls tumble to No. 2 Wolves

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After knocking off its crosstown rival earlier in the week, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team was hoping to pull off a second consecutive upset on Friday. Unfortunately, a slow start doomed the 14th-ranked Jaguars on their home court. No. 2 Waukee Northwest jumped out to a 15-0 lead in the first quarter and went on to post a 44-28 victory in … [Read more...] about ‘We just couldn’t get our shots to fall’: Centennial girls tumble to No. 2 Wolves