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Dru McAnelly

‘I’m choosing family over my career’: McAnelly resigns after 7 seasons

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Ankeny girls' basketball coach Dru McAnelly has resigned from his position after seven seasons at the school. McAnelly said it was simply time to put his family first. "It was a hard decision, but it's one that three years ago my wife and I talked about it," McAnelly said. "Our kids were going to reach eighth grade and play school ball, and we knew … [Read more...] about ‘I’m choosing family over my career’: McAnelly resigns after 7 seasons

Hawkettes’ valiant effort falls short in regional final at No. 5 Davenport North

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Ankeny's dream of qualifying for the girls' state basketball tournament will have to wait at least another year. The 12th-ranked Hawkettes led for much of the game before falling at No. 5 Davenport North, 65-61, in a Class 5A regional final on Tuesday. The Wildcats (21-2) advanced to next week's state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena, while Ankeny finished … [Read more...] about Hawkettes’ valiant effort falls short in regional final at No. 5 Davenport North

‘We found a way to win’: Ankeny girls advance with late rally against Wolves

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Saturday's game against visiting Waukee Northwest put a lot of stress on Ankeny girls' basketball coach Dru McAnelly. "I think I lost a year of my life because of that game," McAnelly said. In the end, though, the 12th-ranked Hawkettes held off Northwest for a 56-54 victory in a Class 5A regional semifinal. They defeated the Wolves for the third time … [Read more...] about ‘We found a way to win’: Ankeny girls advance with late rally against Wolves

‘She was lights out tonight’: Jaeger pours in 30 as Valley girls roll past Hawkettes

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There wasn't much that Ankeny girls' basketball coach Dru McAnelly could say to his team following the Hawkettes' 67-36 loss to visiting Valley in their regular-season finale on Friday. "Not that we ever want to have this feeling again, but we'd much rather have it tonight than eight days from now," said McAnelly. "If this happens eight days from now, our … [Read more...] about ‘She was lights out tonight’: Jaeger pours in 30 as Valley girls roll past Hawkettes

‘It was a great night for the seniors’: Lewis, Hawkettes roll past Urbandale

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Kendra Lewis and the other seniors on the Ankeny girls' basketball team wanted to make sure that their Senior Night was a joyous occasion. The 13th-ranked Hawkettes did just that with a 62-24 victory over visiting Urbandale on Tuesday. Lewis, a reserve guard, led the way with 14 points, making 3-of-9 3-pointers. Fellow senior Jenna Pitz scored 12 … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great night for the seniors’: Lewis, Hawkettes roll past Urbandale

‘Jenna put us on her back’: Pitz again leads Hawkettes past rival Centennial

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Ankeny senior Jenna Pitz struggled through one of the worst shooting nights of her basketball career on Dec. 20, going 1-for-13 from the field in the Hawkettes' 59-52 loss to Ankeny Centennial. She wasn't going to let it happen again. Pitz scored 16 of her 17 points in the second half to lead 13th-ranked Ankeny to a 48-43 victory at No. 6 Centennial on … [Read more...] about ‘Jenna put us on her back’: Pitz again leads Hawkettes past rival Centennial

‘It was huge’: Gage, Hawkettes dominate final 4 minutes to earn road win over NW

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If the Ankeny girls' basketball team hopes to finish the season with a winning record, Friday's contest at Waukee Northwest was a must-win game. The 14th-ranked Hawkettes got what they needed with a 59-52 victory, allowing them to sweep the season series. They improved to 4-9 in the CIML Conference and 9-9 overall with three games left in the regular … [Read more...] about ‘It was huge’: Gage, Hawkettes dominate final 4 minutes to earn road win over NW

‘They’re on a roll’: Surging Maroons top Ankeny girls for 9th straight victory

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The schedule hasn't been kind to the Ankeny girls' basketball team. The 15th-ranked Hawkettes ran into perhaps the state's hottest team on Tuesday in No. 4 Dowling Catholic, which entered the contest on an eight-game winning streak. The Maroons, who snapped No. 1 Johnston's 42-game winning streak with a 62-48 victory on Friday, kept their momentum … [Read more...] about ‘They’re on a roll’: Surging Maroons top Ankeny girls for 9th straight victory

Without injured Dailey, hot-shooting Rams make 15 treys in win over Ankeny

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Ankeny girls' basketball coach Dru McAnelly wasn't sure if Southeast Polk star Brooklin Dailey would play in Friday's game at Pleasant Hill. It turned out that the eighth-ranked Rams didn't need her. Playing without the injured Dailey, Southeast Polk made 15 3-point goals and defeated No. 15 Ankeny, 77-65, in a CIML Conference game. "Credit to … [Read more...] about Without injured Dailey, hot-shooting Rams make 15 treys in win over Ankeny

‘We couldn’t have responded any better’: Ankeny girls take down No. 1 DC-G

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The Ankeny girls' basketball team entered Tuesday's non-conference game against visiting Dallas Center-Grimes with a .500 mark. The 13th-ranked Hawkettes showed that their record is deceiving. Ankeny had four players in double figures and rolled to a 61-44 victory over the Fillies, who are ranked No. 1 in Class 4A. "It was a good win," said Ankeny … [Read more...] about ‘We couldn’t have responded any better’: Ankeny girls take down No. 1 DC-G

‘We got exposed’: Ankeny hangs around for awhile before Dragons dominate

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The Central Iowa Metropolitan League boasts seven of the top 11 teams in Class 5A in the latest girls' basketball rankings from the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union. Despite the overall strength of the nine-team league, top-ranked Johnston continues to dominate its CIML rivals. The defending state champion Dragons extended their winning streak to … [Read more...] about ‘We got exposed’: Ankeny hangs around for awhile before Dragons dominate

Hawkettes rout Roosevelt girls, avenge last year’s loss in Class 5A regional final

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The Ankeny girls' basketball team took an early lead against visiting Des Moines Roosevelt on Saturday without any time running off the clock. The Roughriders were called for a technical foul before the opening tipoff because the uniform number for one of their players was incorrectly entered into the scorebook. It was that kind of day for … [Read more...] about Hawkettes rout Roosevelt girls, avenge last year’s loss in Class 5A regional final

Ankeny girls roll past Urbandale, snap three-game skid with 79-42 victory

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Ankeny girls' basketball coach Dru McAnelly didn't want to call Friday's contest at Urbandale a must-win game. But it clearly was. The 11th-ranked Hawkettes raced out to a 48-21 halftime lead and cruised to a 79-42 victory in a CIML Conference matchup. They snapped a three-game losing skid while raising their records to 3-5 in the league and 6-5 … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls roll past Urbandale, snap three-game skid with 79-42 victory

‘It’s not the record we want’: Hawkettes drop to 5-5 with another close loss

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There's an old saying, "Close only counts in horseshoes." For the Ankeny girls' basketball team, coming close to earning a victory is becoming a frustrating habit. The 10th-ranked Hawkettes were looking to start off 2023 with a big win on Tuesday, but their upset bid at No. 4 Valley fell just short. The Tigers made a late 3-point goal to post a 41-38 … [Read more...] about ‘It’s not the record we want’: Hawkettes drop to 5-5 with another close loss

Motivated Jaguars dominate boards, roll past Ankeny to avenge last year’s loss

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Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball coach Scott DeJong didn't have to remind his players what happened the last time the Jaguars played at crosstown rival Ankeny. Last February, the Hawkettes posted a 49-45 victory to defeat Centennial for the first time ever. "That was definitely some extra motivation," Centennial senior Averi Porter said after the … [Read more...] about Motivated Jaguars dominate boards, roll past Ankeny to avenge last year’s loss

Dowling girls edge Hawkettes on Muller’s 3-point play with 2 seconds left

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Any scouting report on the Dowling Catholic girls' basketball team is going to start with the Maroons' best player, point guard Ava Zediker. But it was Dowling's supporting cast--and freshman post player Ellie Muller in particular--who proved to be the difference on Friday. Muller converted a 3-point play with 2 seconds left to give the 11th-ranked … [Read more...] about Dowling girls edge Hawkettes on Muller’s 3-point play with 2 seconds left

Hawkettes protect their home court with victory over No. 5 Waukee Northwest

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Ankeny girls' basketball coach Dru McAnelly didn't have much time to prepare for Tuesday's opponent following Monday's win over Indianola. It turns out he had to scrap many of his plans anyway. Fifth-ranked Waukee Northwest visited No. 10 Ankeny for a CIML Conference game, and the Wolves were without leading scorer Sadie Maas. The junior forward, who … [Read more...] about Hawkettes protect their home court with victory over No. 5 Waukee Northwest