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Brandt Carlson

‘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

No. 2 Valley boys use 12-0 run in 4th quarter to thwart Hawks’ upset bid

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) For three and a half quarters, it felt like the Ankeny boys' basketball team had second-ranked Valley on the ropes and on the verge of a major victory. But a 12-0 run and one too many trips to the free-throw line for Valley helped the Tigers escape out of Ankeny with a 64-60 win on Friday. “We played really hard and … [Read more...] about No. 2 Valley boys use 12-0 run in 4th quarter to thwart Hawks’ upset bid

Hawks use big run to rally past Centennial boys, take 13-12 lead in all-time series

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The Ankeny boys' basketball players didn't panic when their crosstown rival surged to a five-point lead in the first half of Tuesday's game at Ankeny Centennial. The Hawks had been in this position before. Ankeny rallied from a five-point halftime deficit to beat the Jaguars a month ago, and the Hawks used a similar rally on Tuesday to pull away for a … [Read more...] about Hawks use big run to rally past Centennial boys, take 13-12 lead in all-time series

Hawks knock off Linn-Mar at CIML/MVC Crossover event, will face Centennial next

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For the second year in a row, the Ankeny boys' basketball team played in the CIML/MVC Crossover event and came away with an impressive victory. The Hawks broke away from a tie in the fourth quarter to defeat Linn-Mar (Marion), 61-55, on Saturday at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse in Cedar Rapids. "It's a good venue and a fun environment," said Ankeny … [Read more...] about Hawks knock off Linn-Mar at CIML/MVC Crossover event, will face Centennial next

‘They’re really good’: Unbeaten Tigers pull away for 67-53 victory over Ankeny boys

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Ankeny boys' basketball coach Brandt Carlson was impressed by what he saw of Cedar Falls while preparing for Thursday's non-conference game. The visiting Tigers were just as impressive in person. "They're really good," Carlson said after his team dropped a 67-53 decision. "They look great on film, and live they were just as good." Anthony Galvin … [Read more...] about ‘They’re really good’: Unbeaten Tigers pull away for 67-53 victory over Ankeny boys

‘We just had some guys make plays’: Hawks outlast S.E. Polk boys in double OT

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There are no easy wins in the Central Iowa Metropolitan League. The Ankeny boys' basketball team had to play an extra 8 minutes on Tuesday to earn its second conference victory of the season. The visiting Hawks scored the final six points of the game over the last 20 seconds to outlast Southeast Polk, 74-68, in double overtime. They improved to 2-3 in … [Read more...] about ‘We just had some guys make plays’: Hawks outlast S.E. Polk boys in double OT

Jacobson records double-double, leads Waukee boys to 56-42 victory over Hawks

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) While the Ankeny boys' basketball team struggled to get its shots to consistently fall, an Evan Jacobson-led Waukee squad was able to build up its lead. Ankeny looked to even its record going into Friday night, but shot just 31.5 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from 3-point range (5-of-30) as the Hawks suffered a … [Read more...] about Jacobson records double-double, leads Waukee boys to 56-42 victory over Hawks

‘That’s a tough formula to win’: Hawks shoot 4-of-19 inside arc, fall to Johnston

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) They might’ve been down, but at no point did the Ankeny boys' basketball players ever feel they were out of it. The Hawks clawed their way back from several deficits during Tuesday's matchup against unbeaten Johnston, but just couldn’t get over the hump as they dropped to 1-2 on the season with a 59-49 home … [Read more...] about ‘That’s a tough formula to win’: Hawks shoot 4-of-19 inside arc, fall to Johnston