Ankeny Fanatic

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Girls' Basketball

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

‘It was a great win’: Surging Centennial girls win top-5 showdown vs. C.R. Prairie

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Last December, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team suffered through a five-game losing streak and limped into the holiday break with a pedestrian 5-5 record. With everyone back from that squad, the Jaguars are in a much better position 12 months later. Fourth-ranked Centennial raised its overall mark to 6-2 by defeating No. 5 Cedar Rapids … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great win’: Surging Centennial girls win top-5 showdown vs. C.R. Prairie

‘I was kind of shocked by it’: Pratt scores career-high 30 in Jaguars’ rout at Valley

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Jaeden Pratt is playing with a lot of confidence, and it helps when she’s got the perfect team around her. It was just a pair of free throws to begin Friday night’s contest that broke open the floodgates to a career-high 30-point outing for the Illinois State commit and a dominant 73-42 road win for the Ankeny Centennial … [Read more...] about ‘I was kind of shocked by it’: Pratt scores career-high 30 in Jaguars’ rout at Valley

Jaguars roll to back-to-back wins over Urbandale, Roosevelt in span of 24 hours

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A couple of fast starts helped the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to back-to-back victories over Urbandale and Des Moines Roosevelt in a span of 24 hours. The fourth-ranked Jaguars jumped out to a 25-3 lead at the end of the first quarter and rolled to a 66-32 win at Urbandale on Friday. They then raced out to an early 22-6 advantage in … [Read more...] about Jaguars roll to back-to-back wins over Urbandale, Roosevelt in span of 24 hours

‘We left it out there’: Jaguars’ rally falls short in 56-52 loss at No. 2 Dowling

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Don't be surprised if the two CIML Conference rivals who met on Tuesday at Dowling Catholic collide again in March at the girls' state basketball tournament. The second-ranked Maroons and No. 5 Ankeny Centennial both look primed to make deep postseason runs. "They're No. 2 for a reason, that's for sure," Centennial coach Scott DeJong said following his … [Read more...] about ‘We left it out there’: Jaguars’ rally falls short in 56-52 loss at No. 2 Dowling

‘It was definitely a little bit weird’: Baldwin, Hawkettes defeat Valley for 4-0 start

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) For junior forward Reagan Baldwin, it felt a little weird being the opposition rather than the home team inside the Valley High School gym. Baldwin, who transferred to Ankeny from Valley after her sophomore season, stepped foot back in her old stomping grounds on Tuesday and played a key role in helping the eighth-ranked … [Read more...] about ‘It was definitely a little bit weird’: Baldwin, Hawkettes defeat Valley for 4-0 start

‘I think it was very humbling’: Jags open CIML play with OT loss to Waukee NW

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Mya Crawford sat in the bleachers with an icepack on her foot following Tuesday's game against visiting Waukee Northwest. It was that kind of night for the senior guard and the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team. Crawford scored 18 points, but her desperation heave at the buzzer bounced off the backboard and the third-ranked Jaguars dropped a … [Read more...] about ‘I think it was very humbling’: Jags open CIML play with OT loss to Waukee NW

Jaguars shut down Pleasant Valley in opener, give DeJong his 700th career win

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The 700th career victory for Ankeny Centennial's Scott DeJong followed a familiar script. The legendary girls' basketball coach reached the milestone on Saturday when the third-ranked Jaguars opened their season by winning a defensive battle against No. 5 Pleasant Valley, 39-26, at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. "It was two good teams … [Read more...] about Jaguars shut down Pleasant Valley in opener, give DeJong his 700th career win

‘We are starting at a different level’: Jags return their entire roster from 14-9 squad

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There may not be a more experienced girls' basketball team in the state than Ankeny Centennial. The Jaguars return every player from last year's squad that posted a 14-9 record and qualified for the Class 5A state tournament. "We have been able to progress faster with our whole team back. We are starting at a different level than last year," said … [Read more...] about ‘We are starting at a different level’: Jags return their entire roster from 14-9 squad

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