The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team won't even have to leave its own gym in order to qualify for the Class 5A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. The fifth-ranked Jaguars earned a No. 1 seed in Region 5 after posting a 50-42 overtime victory against Des Moines East on Tuesday at Centennial. They raised their record to 15-3 on the … [Read more...] about Jaguars, Hawkettes to host regional semifinals on Feb. 17
Girls' Basketball
Centennial girls rally past East in OT, celebrate Senior Night with victory
Down by seven points with less than 4 minutes left to play, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team was in danger of suffering a rare home-court loss on its Senior Night. But Chloe Olson refused to let it happen. The senior forward scored four points down the stretch to help force overtime, then added a pair of free throws in the extra period as … [Read more...] about Centennial girls rally past East in OT, celebrate Senior Night with victory
Centennial girls build big lead, then hold off Mohawks
One of the state's best girls' basketball players scored 25 points on Tuesday in a game against Ankeny Centennial. It still wasn't nearly enough. The eighth-ranked Jaguars traveled to Mason City for a CIML non-conference contest and came away with a 59-40 victory over the Mohawks, who are ranked seventh in Class 4A. Centennial relied … [Read more...] about Centennial girls build big lead, then hold off Mohawks
Olson, Jaguars muscle their way past Valley girls
Ankeny Centennial's Chloe Olson spends most of her time in the summer on the softball field, hitting long home runs for the Jaguars. In the winter, her strength carries over to the basketball court. The senior post player scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the eighth-ranked Jaguars to a 63-57 victory over No. 15 Valley on … [Read more...] about Olson, Jaguars muscle their way past Valley girls
Williams makes her season debut as Centennial girls rout Roughriders
It didn't take long for Keanna Williams to show that her surgically-repaired right knee is as good as new. After checking into a game for the first time this season, the Ankeny Centennial point guard stole the ball near midcourt with about 1 minute left in the first quarter of Tuesday's CIML non-conference contest against visiting Des Moines … [Read more...] about Williams makes her season debut as Centennial girls rout Roughriders
Jaguars hold off late Waukee charge, move into tie for first place
Sydney Wycoff was relieved to hear that teammates Rachel Schon and Alexandria Keahna-Harris would be returning to action for Friday's showdown against visiting Waukee. "I was so excited when they said they were playing," Wycoff said of the two post players. "It just helps so much with that inside-out game, especially because we had eight … [Read more...] about Jaguars hold off late Waukee charge, move into tie for first place
Jaguars tumble to S.E. Polk, but Burns emerges as potential star
At the start of the season, sophomore guard Meg Burns was expected to be a complementary player for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team. Now, somewhat out of necessity, she's becoming an emerging star. Burns scored a career-high 17 points on Tuesday in the fifth-ranked Jaguars' 59-45 loss at No. 10 Southeast Polk. She had eight of her points … [Read more...] about Jaguars tumble to S.E. Polk, but Burns emerges as potential star
Huge week on tap for Centennial girls
The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team faces perhaps its most challenging week of the season. The fifth-ranked Jaguars will play two other top-10 teams in a span of four days, beginning with Tuesday's visit to No. 10 Southeast Polk. Tip-off is at 6:15 p.m., with the boys' varsity contest to follow. Centennial will then host No. 8 Waukee on Friday … [Read more...] about Huge week on tap for Centennial girls
McCullough’s big night not enough for Hawkettes in loss to Waukee
When Sara McCullough made her first 3-point shot on Friday, she knew it was going to be a good night. "Oh my gosh, my shot was on," McCullough said. "I don't know what was going through my head. I wasn't really thinking. I just kind of played." McCullough went on to score a career-high 27 points, including five 3-pointers, but it wasn't enough as the … [Read more...] about McCullough’s big night not enough for Hawkettes in loss to Waukee
‘Resilient’ Jaguars rally past Ames with huge fourth quarter
As the injuries continue to mount for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team, so do the victories. The fifth-ranked Jaguars overcame two more injuries to defeat visiting Ames, 50-40, on Friday. Leading scorer Rachel Schon re-sprained her ankle in practice on Wednesday and did not play, while fellow post player Alexandria Keahna-Harris sat out after … [Read more...] about ‘Resilient’ Jaguars rally past Ames with huge fourth quarter
Wycoff makes successful transition to point guard, leads No. 5 Jaguars to 8-2 start
When Keanna Williams returns to the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball lineup later this month, the senior point guard may not get her old position back. That's because Sydney Wycoff doesn't want to give it up. Wycoff, a senior, took over the point guard duties after Williams suffered a torn ACL during an AAU tournament last summer. She has led the … [Read more...] about Wycoff makes successful transition to point guard, leads No. 5 Jaguars to 8-2 start
Wycoff’s buzzer-beater lifts Jaguars past Ankeny in thriller
Sydney Wycoff was still trembling several minutes after she made a game-winning basket. "It's awesome. I'm so excited," Wycoff said. "I'm still shaking." The senior guard drove the length of the court in the final 6 seconds, split two defenders and banked in a left-handed layup as time expired to give the sixth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' … [Read more...] about Wycoff’s buzzer-beater lifts Jaguars past Ankeny in thriller