Ankeny Fanatic

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Braxton Bayless

‘It’s just another game for me’: Bayless pours in 41, leads Hawks into semifinals

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Braxton Bayless and the Ankeny boys' basketball team will be joining their crosstown rival in the Class 4A semifinals on Thursday night. 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 quarterfinals on Wednesday morning at Wells Fargo Arena. He … [Read more...] about ‘It’s just another game for me’: Bayless pours in 41, leads Hawks into semifinals

‘It’s just the best feeling ever’: Hawks outlast Sioux City East for trip to state

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Braxton Bayless draped the state qualifier banner around his body and beamed with joy as he pranced around the Fort Dodge gym. The senior guard had just fulfilled a lifelong dream--leading his Ankeny boys' basketball team to the Class 4A state tournament. "It's the best feeling I've had my whole career," said Bayless. "It's just the best feeling … [Read more...] about ‘It’s just the best feeling ever’: Hawks outlast Sioux City East for trip to state

Centennial, Ankeny boys to play for state tournament berths on Tuesday

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A trip to the Class 4A state tournament is only 32 minutes away for the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball teams. The top-ranked Jaguars (22-1) will meet CIML Central Conference rival Johnston (15-7) in a substate final on Tuesday at Southeast Polk, while the Hawks (17-5) will face Sioux City East (17-4) at Fort Dodge. Both games begin at 7 … [Read more...] about Centennial, Ankeny boys to play for state tournament berths on Tuesday

‘They threw a lot of junk at us’: Hawks solve Fort Dodge’s defense in 66-46 win

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The Fort Dodge boys' basketball team tried several different defenses on Friday in an effort to slow down Ankeny star Braxton Bayless. None of them were very successful. Bayless poured in 26 points, 19 of them in the first half, to lead the Hawks to a 66-46 victory in a Class 4A substate semifinal at Ankeny. "They threw a lot of junk at us, but we … [Read more...] about ‘They threw a lot of junk at us’: Hawks solve Fort Dodge’s defense in 66-46 win

No. 2 Jaguars hold off Ankeny, capture first conference crown since 2015

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Braxton Bayless wouldn't hesitate to pass the ball to Jaxon Smith again. Smith missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds of Friday's Jag-Hawk rematch at Ankeny, allowing the second-ranked Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team to escape with a 50-48 victory. "I'll give it to him 100 percent of the time if he's wide open like … [Read more...] about No. 2 Jaguars hold off Ankeny, capture first conference crown since 2015

DOUBLE TROUBLE: McCullough, Johnson lead Jaguars past Ankeny boys

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A dynamic duo emerged for the Ankeny boys' basketball team on Monday. Ankeny Centennial's twin towers were just a little bit better. Post players Cody McCullough and Micah Johnson combined for 46 points and 33 rebounds against Ankeny's undersized squad to lead the sixth-ranked Jaguars to a 69-61 victory at Centennial. The No. 9 Hawks had won the last … [Read more...] about DOUBLE TROUBLE: McCullough, Johnson lead Jaguars past Ankeny boys

‘We’re just really proud of these guys’: Hawks stun Johnston with huge rally

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It's been a memorable season thus far for the Ankeny boys' basketball team. Nobody knows what lies ahead, but it's going to be difficult for the Hawks to top the last 72 hours. Just two days after knocking off seventh-ranked Dowling Catholic, Ankeny hit the road again on Thursday and rallied from a 19-point deficit in the second half to post an 80-74 … [Read more...] about ‘We’re just really proud of these guys’: Hawks stun Johnston with huge rally

Hawks move into tie for first place in CIML Central Conference

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The Ankeny boys' basketball team moved into a tie for first place in the CIML Central Conference on Thursday. And the Hawks did it in thrilling fashion. Ankeny rallied from a 19-point deficit in the second half to post an 80-74 victory at Johnston. Braxton Bayless poured in a career-high 30 points and had two huge steals in the final 30 seconds that … [Read more...] about Hawks move into tie for first place in CIML Central Conference

‘It was a great battle’: Hawks build big lead, then hold on to beat Dowling

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Despite its 7-1 start, the Ankeny boys' basketball team had yet to defeat a top-10 opponent. Now, the Hawks have done just that. Ankeny made 13-of-22 attempts from 3-point range (59.1 percent) and posted a 77-73 victory at seventh-ranked Dowling Catholic on Tuesday. The Hawks avenged last month's 64-54 loss to Dowling while snapping the Maroons' … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great battle’: Hawks build big lead, then hold on to beat Dowling

Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Braxton Bayless, Ankeny boys’ basketball

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Senior guard Braxton Bayless has helped the Ankeny boys' basketball team to a 7-1 record. The Hawks are undefeated in their last four games since Bayless rejoined the lineup on Dec. 17. Bayless is averaging a team-high 21.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He is shooting 60.7 percent from the field (34-of-56) and 37.5 percent from 3-point range … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Braxton Bayless, Ankeny boys’ basketball

‘We’re glad to have him back’: Bayless returns to lineup, leads Hawks to win

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Braxton Bayless watched from the bench as the Ankeny boys' basketball team got off to a 3-1 start this season. The Hawks' top returning scorer and rebounder sat out the first four games after violating the school's good conduct policy. "It was real hard and very tough to watch my brothers battle without me," said Bayless. The senior point guard made … [Read more...] about ‘We’re glad to have him back’: Bayless returns to lineup, leads Hawks to win

Ankeny duo named to all-conference first team along with McCullough

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The CIML Central Conference boys' basketball first team includes a trio of players from Ankeny. Senior guard Dillon Carlson and junior guard Braxton Bayless of Ankeny were both named to the team along with junior forward Cody McCullough of Ankeny Centennial. The all-conference teams were selected by the league's coaches. Bayless led the Hawks to a 13-8 … [Read more...] about Ankeny duo named to all-conference first team along with McCullough

Ankeny boys bounce back with huge win over reeling Huskies

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Tuesday's game against visiting Des Moines Hoover was an important one for the Ankeny boys' basketball team for a variety of reasons. The Hawks were hoping to bounce back from Friday's loss to Dowling Catholic and build some momentum for postseason play. A win would also strengthen Ankeny's argument for a higher seed in Class 4A substate play when the … [Read more...] about Ankeny boys bounce back with huge win over reeling Huskies

Without their leading scorer, Hawks struggle in loss to Ames

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It might be best for the Ankeny boys' basketball players to just forget about Friday's game against visiting Ames. The Little Cyclones built a 39-16 lead in the first half and cruised to a 79-47 victory in a CIML Central Conference contest. Afterwards, Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson was ready to turn the page. "Sometimes you just get your butt kicked, and … [Read more...] about Without their leading scorer, Hawks struggle in loss to Ames

Tigers spoil Bayless’ return to Valley behind Williams’ huge 1st quarter

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Ankeny guard Braxton Bayless was fired up for his return to Valley High School on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, the host Tigers spoiled the party. Trayvon Williams poured in 24 points and Valley built a 20-point lead before holding on for a 76-67 victory over the Hawks. "I was pumped," said Bayless, who played for Valley's freshman team two years … [Read more...] about Tigers spoil Bayless’ return to Valley behind Williams’ huge 1st quarter

Hawks lead from start to finish, complete sweep of crosstown rival

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With its four-guard lineup, the Ankeny boys' basketball team is almost always giving up some size to its opponents. But that makes the Hawks difficult to match up with as well. Ankeny again relied on its quickness to post a 61-51 victory at Ankeny Centennial on Friday, completing a sweep of the season series. The Hawks got 20 points from Braxton … [Read more...] about Hawks lead from start to finish, complete sweep of crosstown rival

Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Jaxon Smith, Ankeny boys’ basketball

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Junior guard Jaxon Smith scored 12 points to help the Ankeny boys' basketball team to a 58-50 victory over visiting Ankeny Centennial on Friday. The Hawks improved their record to 4-0 on the season. Smith leads the team with a 14.8 scoring average. He had a season-high 17 points in the Hawks' 83-55 win at Fort Dodge on Nov. 30. Here is some inside info … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Jaxon Smith, Ankeny boys’ basketball

Bayless, Ankeny boys outlast Locure, Polar Bears in thriller

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The wait was worth it for Braxton Bayless. The 6-foot-1 junior guard finally made his debut for the Ankeny boys' basketball team on Tuesday, and he led the Hawks to a thrilling victory. Bayless, who sat out last season after transferring to Ankeny from Valley, scored 24 points as the Hawks opened their season with an 85-78 triumph over visiting Des … [Read more...] about Bayless, Ankeny boys outlast Locure, Polar Bears in thriller