Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Winter

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

Dhabolt earns runner-up finish at 150 pounds in 16U Freestyle Nationals

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Ankeny Centennial wrestler Max Dhabolt is building a pretty impressive resume. The sophomore-to-be earned a second-place finish at 150 pounds in the 16U Freestyle Nationals last week at Fargo, N.D. He advanced to the championship match before dropping a 10-0 decision to Jayden James of New Jersey, a returning freestyle national champion. "I was going … [Read more...] about Dhabolt earns runner-up finish at 150 pounds in 16U Freestyle Nationals

Former Centennial basketball player Louis passes away at the age of 19

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The leading scorer on the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team in the 2021-22 season has passed away at the age of 19. Chris Louis, who averaged 12.1 points per game while helping the Jaguars to a 12-10 record as a senior, died unexpectedly last week. Here is Louis' obituary: Christian Louis, a vibrant soul, bid farewell to this world on May 3, … [Read more...] about Former Centennial basketball player Louis passes away at the age of 19

‘We just couldn’t get stops’: Jaguars finish at 17-7 after falling to Ankeny boys, 64-41

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The Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team picked a bad night to have its worst offensive performance of the season. The 10th-ranked Jaguars shot just 34.6 percent from the field (18-of-52) and dropped a 64-41 decision to No. 8 Ankeny in a Class 4A substate final on Tuesday at Southeast Polk. It was a season-low output for Centennial, which finished … [Read more...] about ‘We just couldn’t get stops’: Jaguars finish at 17-7 after falling to Ankeny boys, 64-41

‘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

‘We don’t win the game without them’: Klingner, Smith help Jags past Roosevelt

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All season long, senior point guard Luke Winkel has been carrying a heavy load for the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team. On Friday at Centennial, two junior reserves--Cabryn Klingner and Will Smith--helped the 10th-ranked Jaguars keep their season alive. Klingner scored all eight of his points in the first half, then Smith had all eight of his … [Read more...] about ‘We don’t win the game without them’: Klingner, Smith help Jags past Roosevelt

‘Our kids really stepped up’: Jaguars roll past S.C. East, earn another trip to state

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team is headed back to Wells Fargo Arena. The fifth-ranked Jaguars advanced to the state tournament for the fourth consecutive year by defeating No. 10 Sioux City East, 53-25, in a Class 5A regional final on Tuesday at Centennial. This time, coach Scott DeJong's squad didn't have to sweat out a close game in the … [Read more...] about ‘Our kids really stepped up’: Jaguars roll past S.C. East, earn another trip to state

Martin, Crawford lead No. 5 Jaguars past Sioux City North in postseason opener

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Ava Martin wasn't going to let a gash on her head take her out of the lineup for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team. The junior guard made 4-of-7 3-point shots and scored 12 points to help the fifth-ranked Jaguars to a 64-30 victory over visiting Sioux City North in a Class 5A regional semifinal on Saturday. She wore a bandage across her … [Read more...] about Martin, Crawford lead No. 5 Jaguars past Sioux City North in postseason opener

Winkel reaches milestone as Jags beat Johnston to close out regular season

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The Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team closed out the regular season Thursday on a high note. The 10th-ranked Jaguars jumped out to a 17-8 lead at the end of the first quarter and went on to post a 59-40 victory over visiting Johnston, allowing them to complete a sweep of the season series. "We got off to a great start," said Centennial coach Bob … [Read more...] about Winkel reaches milestone as Jags beat Johnston to close out regular season

‘We played a lot better the 2nd half’: Jags solve zone defense, beat Winterset

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It took awhile for the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team to figure out its opponent's zone defense on Monday night. After trailing by one point at halftime, the 10th-ranked Jaguars pulled away in the second half for a 59-47 non-conference win over visiting Winterset, the No. 7 team in Class 3A. It wasn't pretty, but Centennial improved to 15-6 … [Read more...] about ‘We played a lot better the 2nd half’: Jags solve zone defense, beat Winterset

Jaguars fall short against Dowling, will await 4A substate pairings on Monday

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After playing one of its best games of the season on Friday, the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team looked like a different squad less than 24 hours later. The eighth-ranked Jaguars dropped a 52-48 decision to visiting Dowling Catholic in a CIML Conference game on Saturday afternoon. The Maroons, who swept the season series, were coming off a 65-60 … [Read more...] about Jaguars fall short against Dowling, will await 4A substate pairings on Monday

‘It was a hard-fought game’: Jags edge Waukee NW, end regular season at 12-8

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(Story by Gabe Ploeger) In a game that never lacked competitive spirit, the fifth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team closed out the regular season on Friday with a 48-44 victory over visiting Waukee Northwest, the No. 12 squad in Class 5A. The Jaguars outscored Northwest in the fourth quarter, 13-9, to break away from a 35-35 tie. “It … [Read more...] about ‘It was a hard-fought game’: Jags edge Waukee NW, end regular season at 12-8

‘We defended the jungle’: Centennial boys shut down Wolves for 49-35 victory

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(Story by Gabe Ploeger) The Waukee Northwest boys' basketball team had won six straight games and nine of their last 10, and the 10th-ranked Wolves intended to keep that hot streak going. But No. 8 Ankeny Centennial had their own plans. The Jaguars relied on a stingy defense to beat visiting Northwest, 49-35, in a CIML Conference game on … [Read more...] about ‘We defended the jungle’: Centennial boys shut down Wolves for 49-35 victory

Centennial boys defeat Rams again, will host Waukee Northwest, Dowling next

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Tuesday's game was far from perfect for the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team. But the eighth-ranked Jaguars were good enough to emerge with a victory. Centennial overcame a 36-27 rebounding disadvantage to beat visiting Southeast Polk, 64-53, for the second time this season. The final score was almost identical to last month's 64-55 outcome at … [Read more...] about Centennial boys defeat Rams again, will host Waukee Northwest, Dowling next