Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Winter

Hawkettes snap two-game skid with hard-fought victory at Urbandale

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Ankeny's Kayla Pitz stood at the charity stripe and ignored the chants from the rowdy Urbandale student section. The junior guard made four consecutive free throws in the final 40 seconds to seal the Hawkettes' 46-40 victory in a CIML Central Conference girls' basketball game on Friday. She went 7-of-8 from the line and had nine of her 11 points in the … [Read more...] about Hawkettes snap two-game skid with hard-fought victory at Urbandale

Hawks, Jaguars ready for showdown on the mat

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Last Friday, Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial collided on the basketball court at Ankeny, where the Jaguars pulled away to win the girls' game before the Hawks used a fast start to win the boys' matchup. On Thursday, the crosstown rivalry will move to the wrestling mat. Ninth-ranked Centennial (7-0) will host Ankeny (2-1) in the CIML Central Conference opener … [Read more...] about Hawks, Jaguars ready for showdown on the mat

Strong bench effort helps Centennial boys to win over Roughriders

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Micah Johnson sat on the bench as the final minutes ticked off the clock during Tuesday's boys' basketball game at Wells Fargo Arena. Johnson and the other Ankeny Centennial starters stood up and cheered as reserves Eugene Bukenya and Cade Macke each made a 3-point goal late in the game, helping the Jaguars to close out a 66-36 victory over host Des … [Read more...] about Strong bench effort helps Centennial boys to win over Roughriders

Jaguars hungry for more after beating Roosevelt at Wells Fargo Arena

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Cleao Murray was a sixth grader back in 2016 when the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team captured the Class 5A state championship. "It's always been a dream of mine to make it to state and to play here at Wells Fargo Arena," Murray said. On Tuesday, Murray got a chance to play on the state tournament court for the first time. The freshman guard … [Read more...] about Jaguars hungry for more after beating Roosevelt at Wells Fargo Arena

Jaguars top Dowling, defend their title at Centennial Duals

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The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers turned in a dominating performance at the Centennial Duals on Saturday, winning all five of their matches by an average of 26 points. The ninth-ranked Jaguars posted a 46-21 victory over Dowling Catholic in the finals to capture the tournament title for the second straight year. They raised their record to 7-0 on the … [Read more...] about Jaguars top Dowling, defend their title at Centennial Duals

Hawks deliver early knockout punch, then hold off Centennial rally

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When the Ankeny boys' basketball team is clicking on all cylinders, the Hawks are clearly one of the state's best teams. They proved that on Friday against crosstown rival Ankeny Centennial, jumping out to a 28-4 lead during the first half of the CIML Central Conference opener at Ankeny. But coach Brandt Carlson's team also showed that it still has … [Read more...] about Hawks deliver early knockout punch, then hold off Centennial rally

Jaguars overcome slow start, pull away from Ankeny in 2nd half

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Ankeny Centennial's Rachel Schon has yet to lose a game to Ankeny during her high school basketball career. She'd like to keep it that way. Schon scored 16 of her 18 points in the second half as the 10th-ranked Jaguars pulled away on Friday for a 49-27 victory at No. 13 Ankeny. The Jaguars improved to 11-0 all-time in the series. "It's so fun … [Read more...] about Jaguars overcome slow start, pull away from Ankeny in 2nd half

Jaguars roll past Ottumwa, will host Centennial Duals Saturday

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The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers spent more time on the bus Thursday than they did on the wrestling mat. The Jaguars traveled to Ottumwa for a dual meet against the Bulldogs, and they quickly rolled to a 60-18 victory, racking up nine falls along the way. Four of the pins came in the first period, including three that took less than a minute. "It wasn't … [Read more...] about Jaguars roll past Ottumwa, will host Centennial Duals Saturday

Jaguars’ rally falls short as Valley seals win at free-throw line

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The Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team had no choice but to foul in the final minute of Tuesday's game against visiting Valley. Sending the Tigers to the charity stripe turned out to be a bad idea. Valley made 10 consecutive free throws in the final 38 seconds--six of them by Evan Obia and four by Will Berg--and pulled away for a 70-60 victory … [Read more...] about Jaguars’ rally falls short as Valley seals win at free-throw line

Young takes over in 2nd half, leads No. 4 Valley girls past Jaguars

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At times on Tuesday, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team forced Valley star Zoe Young into a turnover or a missed shot. Whenever the Jaguars threatened to take the lead, however, the Maryland recruit came up with a huge play for the fourth-ranked Tigers. Young scored 19 of her 29 points in the second half to lead Valley to a 63-50 victory at … [Read more...] about Young takes over in 2nd half, leads No. 4 Valley girls past Jaguars

Jaguars crown 5 champions, defend their title at DC-Grimes tournament

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Ben Monroe is making a habit of winning an individual title at the Dallas Center-Grimes Invitational. The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers are doing likewise in the team race. Monroe captured his third consecutive crown on Saturday at the Dallas Center-Grimes tournament, four of his teammates also captured titles, and the ninth-ranked Jaguars easily … [Read more...] about Jaguars crown 5 champions, defend their title at DC-Grimes tournament

Hoover boys top Jaguars on Treadwell’s last-second 3-pointer

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Des Moines Hoover's Hosea Treadwell pulled up at the top of the key and lofted a shot over the outstretched arm of Ankeny Centennial defender Cody McCullough. Swish. Treadwell made a 3-point goal with 1 second left to give the Huskies a 42-39 victory in a CIML boys' basketball game on Friday at Hoover. "I got my left hand up," said McCullough. "It … [Read more...] about Hoover boys top Jaguars on Treadwell’s last-second 3-pointer

Burns sits out with injury as Centennial girls rout Huskies

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Ten different players scored for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team in an 84-24 victory at Des Moines Hoover on Friday. Unfortunately, junior guard Meg Burns wasn't one of them. Burns sat on the bench in street clothes as she continues to battle a lingering foot injury that she suffered in July. "Her foot's just been bad, and it needs to … [Read more...] about Burns sits out with injury as Centennial girls rout Huskies

Jaguars edge defending state champs on Pruisner’s takedown in final second

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Lane Pruisner crouched on the wrestling mat and waited for the referees to make a call. "No doubt, I thought I had a takedown," Pruisner said. The Ankeny Centennial heavyweight was tied with Fort Dodge's Logan Finowski, 2-2, as the final seconds of their match ticked off the clock during Thursday's season-opening dual meet at Centennial. Pruisner then … [Read more...] about Jaguars edge defending state champs on Pruisner’s takedown in final second

No. 1 S.E. Polk starts fast, hands Jaguars their first loss

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A slow start proved costly for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team on Tuesday. Or, maybe, it was just a fast start by Southeast Polk. The top-ranked Rams jumped out to a 23-10 lead in the first quarter and led all the way en route to a 51-44 victory at No. 10 Centennial. The Jaguars dropped to 2-1 on the season. "They came out on fire--they … [Read more...] about No. 1 S.E. Polk starts fast, hands Jaguars their first loss

Blimpie Sub of the Week: Bella Robben, Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball

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Bella Robben of the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team is the Ankeny Fanatic Sub of the Week sponsored by Blimpie. Robben, a sophomore guard, has helped the 10th-ranked Jaguars to a 2-1 record. She is averaging 3.3 points per game. Robben scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in Centennial's season-opening 73-21 victory over visiting Fort Dodge … [Read more...] about Blimpie Sub of the Week: Bella Robben, Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball

Jaguars roll to season-opening win with ‘total team effort’

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After losing its last two season openers, the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team was determined to get off on the right foot. Thanks to a crucial 6-minute stretch, the Jaguars accomplished their goal. Centennial overcame an early deficit and then pulled away to defeat visiting Southeast Polk, 62-45, in its season opener on Tuesday. The Jaguars led … [Read more...] about Jaguars roll to season-opening win with ‘total team effort’

Centennial boys boast tall front line, inexperienced backcourt

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The Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team appears to be loaded with frontline players. The Jaguars could be a little thin in the backcourt, though, following the graduation of all-state guard Hunter Strait, who is now playing a key role as a freshman at Truman State. "Our returning players that played the most are all frontline players, so I would … [Read more...] about Centennial boys boast tall front line, inexperienced backcourt

Jaguars dominate rebounding battle en route to 75-20 victory at Lincoln

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If the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team misses a shot, there's a good chance that the Jaguars will grab an offensive rebound. That proved to be the case on Saturday afternoon at Des Moines Lincoln, where 10th-ranked Centennial won the battle of the boards, 43-12, and rolled to a 75-20 victory over the Railsplitters. "We were really strong on … [Read more...] about Jaguars dominate rebounding battle en route to 75-20 victory at Lincoln