Ankeny Fanatic

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Girls' Basketball

The CIML Invitational: Ankeny Fanatic’s predictions for the Class 5A semifinals

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The girls' Class 5A state basketball tournament--also known as the CIML Conference Invitational--resumes on Thursday morning with a semifinal doubleheader at Wells Fargo Arena. All four of the highest seeds from the CIML Conference posted victories in Monday's quarterfinals by an average of 16 points. That means that Friday's championship game will be an … [Read more...] about The CIML Invitational: Ankeny Fanatic’s predictions for the Class 5A semifinals

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Mya Crawford, Centennial girls’ basketball

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Senior guard Mya Crawford had 13 points, 11 rebounds, six steals and three blocks to help the fourth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to a 42-37 victory over No. 13 Southeast Polk in a Class 5A regional final on Tuesday at Centennial. The Jaguars advanced to the state tournament for the fifth consecutive year and will play No. 5 Pleasant … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Mya Crawford, Centennial girls’ basketball

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

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The girls' state basketball tournament tips off on Monday morning at Wells Fargo Arena, and top-ranked Johnston is the favorite to capture its fourth Class 5A championship in six seasons. The Dragons are an incredible 141-6 since the start of the 2019-20 campaign, when their dynasty began. They weren't exactly bad in the previous four seasons either, … [Read more...] about State tourney preview: Ankeny Fanatic’s predictions for Class 5A quarterfinals

Blackmore’s jumper ends scoring drought, sends Jaguars back to state tournament

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It might have been the biggest basket of Finley Blackmore's high school career. The 5-foot-10 guard scored only two points on Tuesday night, but her pull-up jumper with 1 minute 50 seconds left helped the fourth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to a 42-37 victory over No. 13 Southeast Polk in a Class 5A regional final at Centennial, sending … [Read more...] about Blackmore’s jumper ends scoring drought, sends Jaguars back to state tournament

Jaguars rout Marshalltown, will meet S.E. Polk for 3rd time in 19 days for state berth

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The Marshalltown girls' basketball team entered Saturday's Class 5A regional semifinal at Ankeny Centennial with a chance to reach double digits in victories for the first time since the 2006-07 season. The fourth-ranked Jaguars quickly made sure, though, that it wouldn't happen. Centennial jumped out to a 33-2 lead at the end of the first quarter, … [Read more...] about Jaguars rout Marshalltown, will meet S.E. Polk for 3rd time in 19 days for state berth

‘It was a fun Senior Night’: Jaguars place 5 players in double figures, beat S.E. Polk

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The nine seniors on the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team had plenty to celebrate following Friday's game against visiting Southeast Polk. The fourth-ranked Jaguars closed out the regular season with a 60-52 victory, defeating the No. 13 Rams for the second time in eight days. Then, one of coach Scott DeJong's largest senior classes was … [Read more...] about ‘It was a fun Senior Night’: Jaguars place 5 players in double figures, beat S.E. Polk

Martin continues torrid stretch, leads Jags past Waukee for 4th-place finish in CIML

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Ankeny Centennial's Ava Martin is on a heater. The senior guard scored a season-high 18 points on Tuesday to lead the fourth-ranked Jaguars to a 62-46 victory over No. 11 Waukee in a CIML Conference girls' basketball game at Centennial. She went 7-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. "It feels so good," Martin said after her team … [Read more...] about Martin continues torrid stretch, leads Jags past Waukee for 4th-place finish in CIML

‘It was a great win’: Centennial girls shoot 46 percent in road victory over S.E. Polk

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team had one of its best shooting performances of the season on Friday. The-fourth ranked Jaguars shot 46.0 percent from the field (23-of-50) and cruised to a 62-47 victory at No. 14 Southeast Polk in the first meeting between the two CIML Conference rivals, who will face each … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great win’: Centennial girls shoot 46 percent in road victory over S.E. Polk

Hot-shooting Johnston extends winning streak with 68-49 victory over Jaguars

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Many have tried in the last 43 games, but none have succeeded and Ankeny Centennial was the latest girls' basketball team to add to Johnston’s long winning streak. The fourth-ranked Jaguars attempted to pull off a big road upset of No. 1 Johnston on Tuesday, but the nation's No. 13 squad … [Read more...] about Hot-shooting Johnston extends winning streak with 68-49 victory over Jaguars

‘The balance was good to see’: 4 players score in double digits in Jaguars’ road win

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There was no time for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to dwell on Friday's loss at Waukee. The fourth-ranked Jaguars had to play a rare Saturday afternoon game less than 24 hours later. Centennial traveled to Ames for a non-conference contest and rolled to a 60-21 victory over the … [Read more...] about ‘The balance was good to see’: 4 players score in double digits in Jaguars’ road win

‘We just didn’t finish out the game well’: Jaguars fall at Waukee in last few minutes

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) It was an uphill battle most of the way for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team. In the end, the fourth-ranked Jaguars fell just a little short. Despite battling back from a 10-point deficit and a strong second half from senior Mya Crawford, Centennial dropped a 57-53 decision at No. 12 Waukee in a … [Read more...] about ‘We just didn’t finish out the game well’: Jaguars fall at Waukee in last few minutes

Centennial girls roll past Class 4A No. 2 North Polk, handing Comets their first loss

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) There are some days where everything just seems to be clicking, and the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team picked a perfect time to do so. The Class 5A fourth-ranked Jaguars were locked in on both ends of the court, and it led to a 20-point victory during their top-five showdown with Class 4A No. 2 North Polk as … [Read more...] about Centennial girls roll past Class 4A No. 2 North Polk, handing Comets their first loss

Crawford, Pratt record double-doubles in Jaguars’ 58-41 victory over Valley girls

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Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball coach Scott DeJong didn't expect a repeat of his team's 73-42 victory at Valley last month. The fourth-ranked Jaguars won the rematch, 58-41, on Tuesday at Centennial. "The last time the stars aligned," said DeJong. "We were just hoping we could beat them. Waukee Northwest was a single-digit game (with Valley) in the … [Read more...] about Crawford, Pratt record double-doubles in Jaguars’ 58-41 victory over Valley girls

After 6 ties and 5 lead changes, Dowling girls pull away late to beat Jaguars again

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team is still searching for a signature victory to put on its postseason resume. The fourth-ranked Jaguars once again battled No. 2 Dowling Catholic down to the wire on Friday before dropping a 52-45 decision at Centennial. There were six ties and five lead changes before the Maroons closed out the CIML Conference … [Read more...] about After 6 ties and 5 lead changes, Dowling girls pull away late to beat Jaguars again

Crawford enjoys historic night as Jaguars roll past Urbandale for 2nd time this year

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Ever since transferring from Cedar Falls to Ankeny Centennial after her freshman girls' basketball season, Mya Crawford has carved out a pretty important role for the Jaguars. She’s started nearly 60 games over two and a half seasons, she’s scored a lot of baskets and she’s helped win a ton of games for Centennial. But … [Read more...] about Crawford enjoys historic night as Jaguars roll past Urbandale for 2nd time this year

‘We’ve got to make better adjustments’: Jags’ lead slips away in loss at Northwest

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For the third time in the last four games, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team let a halftime lead slip away. The fourth-ranked Jaguars were able to recover in those previous games to defeat Cedar Rapids Prairie and Ankeny, but they weren't as fortunate on Friday at No. 3 Waukee Northwest. The Wolves used a 15-1 run in the third quarter to … [Read more...] about ‘We’ve got to make better adjustments’: Jags’ lead slips away in loss at Northwest

‘Johnston is a great team’: Dragons build huge lead, then hold off Centennial girls

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This year's version of the Johnston girls' basketball team might be even better than last year's state championship squad. That was the assessment by Ankeny Centennial coach Scott DeJong prior to the holiday break, and the top-ranked Dragons showed on Friday that the gap between them and the rest of the teams in Class 5A is still significant. Johnston … [Read more...] about ‘Johnston is a great team’: Dragons build huge lead, then hold off Centennial girls

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Tillie Smith, Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball

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Senior guard Tillie Smith has helped the fourth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to a 6-2 record and a four-game winning streak heading into 2025. Smith is averaging 4.0 points per game. She leads the Jaguars with 10 3-point goals and is shooting 28.6 percent from behind the arc. Here is some inside info on Smith: Congratulations on a … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Tillie Smith, Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball