Ankeny Fanatic

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Brandt Carlson

Hawks’ confidence grows with impressive road victory over Dowling Catholic

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The Ankeny boys' basketball team won't be lacking confidence heading into Friday's showdown against fourth-ranked Ankeny Centennial. The Hawks are coming off an impressive 61-46 victory at Dowling Catholic in a non-conference game on Thursday. They raised their record to 6-5 on the season, while the Maroons dropped to 5-6. "When a young team gets … [Read more...] about Hawks’ confidence grows with impressive road victory over Dowling Catholic

Lipsey leads Little Cyclones past Ankeny boys, into tie for 2nd place

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Ames guard Tamin Lipsey showed on Saturday why he's considered one of the nation's top boys' basketball players in the Class of 2022. The junior poured in a game-high 23 points to lead the host Little Cyclones past Ankeny, 55-34, in a CIML Iowa Conference game. He also had four rebounds, four assists and two steals. "He's never (out of control), and … [Read more...] about Lipsey leads Little Cyclones past Ankeny boys, into tie for 2nd place

‘Our post players played great’: Kohl, Simonsen lead Hawks to road victory

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Ankeny's JJ Kohl and Braden Simonsen bring a football mentality to the basketball court. The two post players combined for 24 points and helped the Hawks to dominate the boards in a 69-38 victory on Friday at Fort Dodge. "We had 22 offensive rebounds," said Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson. "That was definitely the key to the game, and our post players … [Read more...] about ‘Our post players played great’: Kohl, Simonsen lead Hawks to road victory

Hawks keep it close for awhile before No. 2 Waukee pulls away in 2nd half

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The Ankeny boys' basketball team proved on Tuesday night that it can play on the same court with second-ranked Waukee. For awhile, anyway. The Hawks outscored Waukee in the second quarter, 13-5, to pull within 28-20 at halftime. The visiting Warriors then used a 19-0 run in the third quarter to pull away for a 65-37 victory in a non-conference … [Read more...] about Hawks keep it close for awhile before No. 2 Waukee pulls away in 2nd half

Blimpie Sub of the Week: JJ Kohl, Ankeny boys’ basketball

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Sophomore JJ Kohl is a member of the Ankeny boys' basketball team. He has helped the Hawks to a 4-4 record. Kohl scored seven points on Tuesday in Ankeny's 65-37 loss to visiting Waukee, the No. 2 team in Class 4A. He had 20 points and 19 rebounds in the Hawks' 71-61 victory over visiting Mason City on Jan. 12. Kohl is averaging 9.1 points and 6.3 … [Read more...] about Blimpie Sub of the Week: JJ Kohl, Ankeny boys’ basketball

Kohl dominates inside, leads Ankeny boys past Mohawks, into 2nd place

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It has taken awhile for JJ Kohl to find his role on the Ankeny boys' basketball team. If the Ankeny Centennial transfer continues to play like he did on Tuesday, he could become the Hawks' go-to player. Kohl scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to lead Ankeny to a 71-61 victory over visiting Mason City. He went 8-for-11 from the … [Read more...] about Kohl dominates inside, leads Ankeny boys past Mohawks, into 2nd place

Stueckradt sticks to Marshalltown’s leading scorer, helps Hawks to victory

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Ankeny guard Matt Stueckradt scored only three points during Friday's boys' basketball game against visiting Marshalltown. His impact on the game came at the other end of the floor. Stueckradt held Marshalltown's leading scorer without a point in the first half as Ankeny built a 22-17 lead, and the Hawks eventually held on for a 49-44 victory in the … [Read more...] about Stueckradt sticks to Marshalltown’s leading scorer, helps Hawks to victory

‘I was a little nervous’: Assistant coach Lamaak guides Jaguars past rival

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Ben Lamaak felt a little uneasy heading into Tuesday's game against the Ankeny boys' basketball team. The play of his Ankeny Centennial squad calmed his nerves. Lamaak, a longtime assistant coach, took over the team due to the absence of head coach Bob Fontana and guided the third-ranked Jaguars to a 71-56 victory in a CIML Iowa Conference game at … [Read more...] about ‘I was a little nervous’: Assistant coach Lamaak guides Jaguars past rival

Potent Waukee boys shut down Hawks in rematch of last year’s Class 4A title game

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The Waukee boys' basketball team that lost to Ankeny in last year's Class 4A championship game was a loaded squad with at least two Division I recruits. Now, the Warriors are even better. The addition of Dowling Catholic transfer Omaha Biliew, one of the nation's top prospects in the Class of 2023, has made Waukee the prohibitive favorite to capture … [Read more...] about Potent Waukee boys shut down Hawks in rematch of last year’s Class 4A title game

Ankeny boys romp past Fort Dodge as 4 players score in double figures

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Bouncing back from its first loss of the season, the Ankeny boys' basketball team romped to an 80-48 victory over visiting Fort Dodge on Friday. The ninth-ranked Hawks, who had lost at Pella on Tuesday, improved to 2-0 in the CIML Iowa Conference and 2-1 overall. The Dodgers dropped to 0-3 on the season, with all three losses coming against league … [Read more...] about Ankeny boys romp past Fort Dodge as 4 players score in double figures

Pella boys make 13 3-pointers, hand Hawks their first loss of the season

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Scoring points hasn't been an issue for the Ankeny boys' basketball team in its first two games. Stopping its opponent, though, was a little bit of a problem on Tuesday. The visiting Hawks suffered their first loss as Pella made 13-of-23 3-point shots and remained unbeaten with a 68-64 victory in a non-conference game. "We're scoring about what we … [Read more...] about Pella boys make 13 3-pointers, hand Hawks their first loss of the season

‘I knew I had to get in the lane’: Simonsen draws charge to seal Hawks’ victory

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As a defensive lineman on the Ankeny football team, Braden Simonsen did a lot of the dirty work in the trenches to help the Hawks to the Class 4A state title. On Friday, Simonsen showed that he can do the dirty work on the basketball court, too. The junior post player stepped in front of Mason City's Cory Miner and drew a charging foul with 2 seconds … [Read more...] about ‘I knew I had to get in the lane’: Simonsen draws charge to seal Hawks’ victory

Defending champions boast high hopes despite heavy losses to graduation

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Ankeny boys' basketball coach Brandt Carlson was thrilled to see the Ankeny football team claim a state championship earlier this month, even if it meant two of his top returning players wouldn't be able to practice for awhile. "I am extremely happy for coach (Rick) Nelson, the staff and team in capturing the 2020 state championship in football," Carlson … [Read more...] about Defending champions boast high hopes despite heavy losses to graduation

‘Everybody sees us as the underdog’: Hawks prove they’re the class of 4A

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Waukee's length provided a matchup problem for the Ankeny boys' basketball team in Friday's Class 4A championship game. But the Warriors faced some bigger problems of their own--like how to deal with Ankeny's speed and deadly outside shooting. The sixth-seeded Hawks completed an amazing run to the state title by making 10-of-17 3-point shots and … [Read more...] about ‘Everybody sees us as the underdog’: Hawks prove they’re the class of 4A

‘We’re not finished yet’: Kumm, Hawks to play CIML rival Waukee for 4A crown

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Ankeny's Jordan Kumm couldn't have picked a better time to break out of his shooting slump. The senior guard went 6-for-9 from 3-point range and scored 18 points to lead the sixth-seeded Hawks to a 71-57 victory over two-time defending champion Cedar Falls in the Class 4A semifinals of the boys' state basketball tournament on Thursday at Wells Fargo … [Read more...] about ‘We’re not finished yet’: Kumm, Hawks to play CIML rival Waukee for 4A crown

‘He played a hell of a game’: Bayless overcomes Iowa City West’s early lead

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Iowa City West's Marcus Morgan thought his team had a solid defensive strategy to slow down Ankeny's Braxton Bayless. He quickly discovered that the plan was fruitless. Bayless poured in a career-high 41 points, including 17-of-19 free throws, to lead the sixth-seeded Hawks to a 68-54 victory over No. 3 Iowa City West in the Class 4A quarterfinals of … [Read more...] about ‘He played a hell of a game’: Bayless overcomes Iowa City West’s early lead