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Brandt Carlson

‘We just didn’t shoot very well’: Hawks drop to 3-3 with 53-38 loss at Cedar Falls

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The offensive struggles continued on Friday for the Ankeny boys' basketball team. After being held to 46 points in a loss to Southeast Polk on Tuesday, the Hawks traveled to Cedar Falls for their final game before the holiday break and dropped a 53-38 decision in a non-conference matchup. "We're 3-3 now, and that's the reality of it," said Ankeny coach … [Read more...] about ‘We just didn’t shoot very well’: Hawks drop to 3-3 with 53-38 loss at Cedar Falls

‘It was not fun to go through’: Ankeny boys struggle offensively in 61-46 loss to Rams

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After getting off to an impressive 3-0 start, the Ankeny boys' basketball team has suffered back-to-back losses on its home court. Friday's 66-59 loss to an unbeaten Waukee squad was disappointing, but hardly a cause for concern. Tuesday's 61-46 defeat at the hands of Southeast Polk was more puzzling. "It was one of those situations," said Ankeny coach … [Read more...] about ‘It was not fun to go through’: Ankeny boys struggle offensively in 61-46 loss to Rams

‘Tonight we learned a lot’: Hawks suffer first loss as Waukee boys control 2nd half

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) By the end of the night, it was guaranteed that the CIML Conference was going to have one fewer undefeated boys' basketball team at the top of the league standings. A second-half cold streak for Ankeny opened the door for visiting Waukee to come away with a 66-59 win on Friday as the Hawks suffered their first loss of the … [Read more...] about ‘Tonight we learned a lot’: Hawks suffer first loss as Waukee boys control 2nd half

Hawks use late run to defeat Johnston, stay 1 of 4 unbeaten teams in conference

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Ankeny boys' basketball coach Brandt Carlson knows that every game on the road in the CIML Conference is going to be a grind. Fortunately, he appears to have a team capable of winning in tough environments. The Hawks used a late 13-5 run to post a 63-58 victory at Johnston on Tuesday. There were 15 lead changes and six ties in the seesaw … [Read more...] about Hawks use late run to defeat Johnston, stay 1 of 4 unbeaten teams in conference

‘We prepared for it all week’: Ankeny boys defeat Jaguars for 5th consecutive time

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The Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team took a huge step forward on Friday night. It still wasn't enough, though, to end the Jaguars' recent losing streak to crosstown rival Ankeny. The Hawks opened the second half with an 11-0 run to take the lead for good and went on to post a 58-46 win at Centennial. It was their fifth straight triumph in the … [Read more...] about ‘We prepared for it all week’: Ankeny boys defeat Jaguars for 5th consecutive time

Newcomers Allison, Ford, Clark help Ankeny boys to 58-52 victory over Valley

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The new pieces on the Ankeny boys' basketball team made their presence felt during Tuesday's season opener against visiting Valley. Max Allison, a 7-foot-1 center, had six points, eight rebounds and four blocks in his first varsity start as the Hawks posted a 58-52 victory. Keyon Ford, a sophomore forward, added four points and four steals off the … [Read more...] about Newcomers Allison, Ford, Clark help Ankeny boys to 58-52 victory over Valley

‘We can make a run at a trophy’: Talented Hawks return Aguirre, 3 other starters

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Ankeny boys' basketball standout Rio Aguirre proved a year ago that he can carry a team. Now, the senior guard will have to do it all over again--perhaps with even more attention from opposing defenses. Aguirre is one of four returning starters from a team that posted a 10-12 record last season. The others are senior forward Kael Roush, senior guard … [Read more...] about ‘We can make a run at a trophy’: Talented Hawks return Aguirre, 3 other starters

‘What we tried didn’t work’: Cason scores school-record 46, leads DC-G past Hawks

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The Ankeny boys' basketball team was hoping to get another shot at CIML Conference rival Valley, the two-time defending Class 4A state champion. But Dallas Center-Grimes senior guard Kyle Cason had plenty of motivation to play the Tigers, too. The Valley transfer scored a school-record 46 points on 13-of-19 shooting to lead the Mustangs to a 76-69 … [Read more...] about ‘What we tried didn’t work’: Cason scores school-record 46, leads DC-G past Hawks

‘It’s frustrating’: Urbandale boys use late 12-3 run to rally past Hawks for 62-61 win

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The Ankeny boys' basketball team led almost the entire way during Tuesday's game at Urbandale. The J-Hawks led, though, when it mattered the most. Jaxson Cathcart made two free throws with 2.1 seconds left to cap off a 12-3 run, and Urbandale escaped with a 62-61 victory over the Hawks in a CIML Conference game. "I like how hard our team plays," … [Read more...] about ‘It’s frustrating’: Urbandale boys use late 12-3 run to rally past Hawks for 62-61 win

‘It just wasn’t our night’: Hawks struggle to score in 66-43 loss to Dowling Catholic

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(Story by Gabe Ploeger) The Ankeny boys' basketball team had won six of its last eight games heading into Tuesday's home contest against Dowling Catholic, including an impressive 63-48 victory at Dowling on Jan. 31. This time, however, the Maroons controlled the game through all four quarters. Dowling opened the first quarter with a 14-5 run … [Read more...] about ‘It just wasn’t our night’: Hawks struggle to score in 66-43 loss to Dowling Catholic

Hawks close in on winning season with victories over Urbandale, Iowa City Liberty

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With two more victories over the weekend, the Ankeny boys' basketball team is on the verge of wrapping up a winning season. The Hawks posted a 60-50 triumph over visiting Urbandale in a CIML Conference game on Friday, then followed with a 79-48 win over Iowa City Liberty in the State Basketball Crossover event on Saturday … [Read more...] about Hawks close in on winning season with victories over Urbandale, Iowa City Liberty

‘We wanted the win, and it hurts’: Hawks’ late scoring drought proves costly vs. NW

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The Ankeny boys' basketball team was coming off perhaps its biggest victory of the season. A win on Monday over visiting Waukee Northwest would have been even bigger. Unfortunately, the Hawks' upset bid came up short in the final 100 seconds. The fifth-ranked Wolves scored the final six points of the game to post a 68-63 win at … [Read more...] about ‘We wanted the win, and it hurts’: Hawks’ late scoring drought proves costly vs. NW

Fast start fuels Hawks past No. 9 Dowling for their 3rd victory over top-10 opponent

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As the calendar turns to February, the Ankeny boys' basketball team appears to be peaking just in time for the stretch run. One week after suffering a humbling loss on its home court to Southeast Polk, the Hawks traveled to Dowling Catholic on Friday and posted a 63-48 victory over the … [Read more...] about Fast start fuels Hawks past No. 9 Dowling for their 3rd victory over top-10 opponent

Hawks rebound from lopsided defeat by routing Indianola, even their record at 7-7

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Three days after the Ankeny boys' basketball team suffered its worst loss ever under coach Brandt Carlson, the Hawks enjoyed the other end of the spectrum. Ankeny held visiting Indianola to just 19.1 percent shooting from the field (9-of-47) and cruised to an 81-29 victory in a non-conference game on Monday. It was the Hawks' largest win ever under … [Read more...] about Hawks rebound from lopsided defeat by routing Indianola, even their record at 7-7

‘It was not something you’d expect’: Ankeny boys fall to hot-shooting Rams

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When Southeast Polk's Josh Barjolo banked in a 3-point goal to open Friday's boys' basketball game at Ankeny, it was clearly a sign of things to come. The Rams went on to make 14-of-23 attempts from behind the arc (60.9 percent) and rolled to a 74-36 victory for their first win in CIML Conference play. They avenged an earlier double-overtime … [Read more...] about ‘It was not something you’d expect’: Ankeny boys fall to hot-shooting Rams

‘We feel very fortunate’: Ankeny boys hold off DC-Grimes to win defensive battle

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In its last two games, the Ankeny boys' basketball team has averaged just 45.5 points a contest--15 points fewer than the Hawks averaged during their losses to Valley and Waukee in the previous two games. But somehow, Ankeny has managed to go 2-0 during that stretch. The Hawks followed up Friday's 41-38 victory at Johnston with another road win on … [Read more...] about ‘We feel very fortunate’: Ankeny boys hold off DC-Grimes to win defensive battle

‘It’s definitely a morale booster’: Aguirre makes 15 FTs, leads Hawks past Johnston

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Everybody loves a dramatic finish to a basketball game. So when Rio Aguirre missed out on the chance to ice Friday's boys' game at Johnston with two missed free throws while holding a three-point lead, the Ankeny junior chalked it up to a little bit of accidental showmanship. Eighth-ranked Johnston had under 10 seconds to … [Read more...] about ‘It’s definitely a morale booster’: Aguirre makes 15 FTs, leads Hawks past Johnston

Hawks contain Jacobson, but Waukee thrives from deep to earn 7th straight win

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Waukee showed on Tuesday why it's one of the state's hottest boys' basketball teams. The seventh-ranked Warriors didn't need a big night from junior post player Evan Jacobson in order to extend their winning streak to seven games. Jacobson was held to seven points in a CIML Conference contest at Ankeny, but Waukee made 11-of-21 3-point shots and had … [Read more...] about Hawks contain Jacobson, but Waukee thrives from deep to earn 7th straight win