Ankeny Fanatic

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Nate Tobey

‘I’m having a lot of fun’: Baldwin helps Hawkettes past Des Moines Christian

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It's been a smooth transition onto the Ankeny girls' basketball team for former Valley player Reagan Baldwin. The junior forward scored nine points on Monday to help the eighth-ranked Hawkettes to a 50-36 victory in a non-conference game at Des Moines Christian. "I'm having a lot of fun playing with everyone," said Baldwin. Baldwin has averaged nine … [Read more...] about ‘I’m having a lot of fun’: Baldwin helps Hawkettes past Des Moines Christian

‘We made progress with our focus areas’: Deeper Hawkettes rout Ames in opener

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Saturday's season opener against visiting Ames showed that the Ankeny girls' basketball team will have a deeper bench than it did a year ago. The eighth-ranked Hawkettes got solid contributions from many different players in a 66-28 victory in the non-conference game. "Overall, we made progress with our focus areas for the season," said Ankeny coach … [Read more...] about ‘We made progress with our focus areas’: Deeper Hawkettes rout Ames in opener

Ankeny girls return trio of double-digit scorers in Gage, Williams and Kiene

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With the return of three double-digit scorers, the Ankeny girls' basketball team will likely boast one of the best offensive trios in the state. Senior guard Savannah Gage combined with junior guards Jayla Williams and Ainsley Kiene to average nearly 40 points per game last season. They helped the Hawkettes to a 13-10 record in their first season under … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls return trio of double-digit scorers in Gage, Williams and Kiene

‘I’m proud of these girls’: Hawkettes fall short against Valley in regional final

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When Karsen Jacks made a tough shot in the lane with 3 minutes 4 seconds left in Tuesday's Class 5A regional final, the Ankeny girls' basketball team appeared to be on the verge of qualifying for the state tournament for the first time since the split into two high schools in 2013. Jacks' basket gave the eighth-ranked Hawkettes a 34-29 lead over visiting … [Read more...] about ‘I’m proud of these girls’: Hawkettes fall short against Valley in regional final

Hawkettes roll past C.R. Kennedy, will host Valley for trip to state tournament

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For the fourth year in a row, the Ankeny girls' basketball team is just one win away from a trip to the state tournament. This time, the Hawkettes will get to host the regional final. Eighth-ranked Ankeny opened postseason play on Saturday with a 58-40 victory over visiting Cedar Rapids Kennedy in a Class 5A regional semifinal. The Cougars finished the … [Read more...] about Hawkettes roll past C.R. Kennedy, will host Valley for trip to state tournament

Jacks ties her career-high with 30 points, leads Hawkettes to win at Urbandale

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Karsen Jacks tied her career-high with 30 points to lead the Ankeny girls' basketball team to a 66-38 victory at Urbandale on Tuesday. Jacks, who made 11-of-16 shots from the field, also scored 30 points in an overtime win against then-No. 6 Cedar Falls on Nov. 21. "I was just taking what the defense was giving me," said Jacks, who also had seven … [Read more...] about Jacks ties her career-high with 30 points, leads Hawkettes to win at Urbandale

Hawkettes put huge scare into No. 1 Johnston before upset bid falls short

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The Ankeny girls' basketball team had nothing to lose on Monday night. It nearly resulted in a massive upset. The eighth-ranked Hawkettes put a huge scare into No. 1 Johnston before the visiting Dragons, who are ranked 20th in the nation by ESPN, scored the last six points of the game to hold on for a 62-52 victory. "It was nice to see our girls … [Read more...] about Hawkettes put huge scare into No. 1 Johnston before upset bid falls short

‘She’s a clutch player’: Blackmore’s late trey seals Jaguars’ win over Ankeny

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There's something about the Ankeny girls' basketball team that brings out the best in Ankeny Centennial's Finley Blackmore. The fifth-ranked Jaguars were clinging to a 47-45 lead on Friday at No. 8 Ankeny when Blackmore, a junior guard, made a 3-point goal from the left corner with 1 minute 15 seconds left. Her squad went on to post a 53-45 … [Read more...] about ‘She’s a clutch player’: Blackmore’s late trey seals Jaguars’ win over Ankeny

‘We just found our groove’: Gage’s late heroics lift Ankeny girls past Wolves

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Savannah Gage and the Ankeny girls' basketball team have found their mojo. Gage scored 11 consecutive points over the final 2 minutes 55 seconds and the ninth-ranked Hawkettes held off No. 10 Waukee Northwest, 50-45, in a CIML Conference game on Friday at Ankeny. The win snapped a two-game losing skid for Ankeny, which had shot just 20.7 percent … [Read more...] about ‘We just found our groove’: Gage’s late heroics lift Ankeny girls past Wolves

‘There was some progress’: Hawkettes remain upbeat despite loss to Dowling

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Nate Tobey still has confidence in his Ankeny girls' basketball team. The seventh-ranked Hawkettes dropped a third consecutive game on their home court Tuesday, when they suffered a 56-27 loss to No. 3 Dowling Catholic. The defeat followed a 55-29 loss to No. 12 Southeast Polk on Friday. "I think for us it's just a matter of getting some scoring and … [Read more...] about ‘There was some progress’: Hawkettes remain upbeat despite loss to Dowling

‘Our offense just totally disappeared’: Hawkettes fizzle out in 2nd half vs. SEP

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A long basketball season can often include both peaks and valleys--sometimes just a few days apart. That was the case last week for the seventh-ranked Ankeny girls' team, which followed up Tuesday's 46-35 win at Class 4A No. 1 Dallas Center-Grimes with a disappointing 55-29 loss on its home court Friday to No. 12 Southeast Polk. The Rams avenged last … [Read more...] about ‘Our offense just totally disappeared’: Hawkettes fizzle out in 2nd half vs. SEP

Hawkettes rely on defensive pressure to hand No. 1 DC-Grimes its 2nd loss

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The Ankeny girls' basketball team held Dallas Center-Grimes to just 33.3 percent shooting and handed the Mustangs their second loss of the season on Tuesday. The seventh-ranked Hawkettes posted a 46-35 win in the non-conference game at Dallas Center-Grimes, the No. 1 team in Class 4A. The Mustangs converted just 13-of-39 shots. "DCG played really well, … [Read more...] about Hawkettes rely on defensive pressure to hand No. 1 DC-Grimes its 2nd loss

No. 4 Waukee uses full-court press to rally past Hawkettes for 54-50 victory

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A desperate team can sometimes be a dangerous team. That proved to be the case on Thursday at the Ankeny gym. Trailing by double digits midway through the fourth quarter, the fourth-ranked Waukee girls' basketball team slapped on a full-court press in an effort to get back into the game. The Warriors forced several turnovers down the stretch and closed … [Read more...] about No. 4 Waukee uses full-court press to rally past Hawkettes for 54-50 victory

Without leading scorer, Hawkettes pull away to beat Urbandale behind Gage

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The Ankeny girls' basketball team pulled away in the second half for a 50-29 victory over visiting Urbandale on Friday. The seventh-ranked Hawkettes led by just 21-19 at halftime, but then outscored Urbandale in the third quarter, 19-5, to build a 40-24 advantage. "It was close for quite a while," said Ankeny coach Nate Tobey. "But credit to Urbandale. … [Read more...] about Without leading scorer, Hawkettes pull away to beat Urbandale behind Gage

Late free throws by Jacks, Gage allow Hawkettes to beat No. 5 Valley, 55-50

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Anytime the ball is in Karsen Jacks' hands, Ankeny girls' basketball coach Nate Tobey is confident that the senior point guard will make the right play. Jacks was fouled with 17.5 seconds left to go and made two free throws to put her team ahead, and the eighth-ranked Hawkettes went on to post a 55-50 victory over No. 5 Valley in a CIML Conference game on … [Read more...] about Late free throws by Jacks, Gage allow Hawkettes to beat No. 5 Valley, 55-50

‘It was a whole team effort’: Centennial girls hold off Hawkettes in rivalry thriller

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Mya Crawford and her teammates on the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball squad didn't want to go into the holiday break with another CIML Conference loss. Crawford scored a game-high 18 points and forced a big turnover in the final seconds as the Jaguars held on for a 50-49 victory over visiting Ankeny on Tuesday. The win allowed sixth-ranked Centennial … [Read more...] about ‘It was a whole team effort’: Centennial girls hold off Hawkettes in rivalry thriller

‘We just didn’t convert’: Hawkettes held to season-low total in loss at Dowling

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The Ankeny girls' basketball team ran into a defensive wall in its game on Friday at Dowling Catholic. The eighth-ranked Hawkettes were held to a season-low offensive output and dropped a 55-38 decision to No. 4 Dowling, which snapped Ankeny's four-game winning streak. "I felt like we were getting good looks, but we just didn't convert," said Ankeny … [Read more...] about ‘We just didn’t convert’: Hawkettes held to season-low total in loss at Dowling

Gage shakes off rust, scores season-high 27 in Ankeny girls’ victory over Wolves

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It didn't take long for Savannah Gage to shake off the rust. The junior guard scored a season-high 27 points on Tuesday to lead the eighth-ranked Ankeny girls' basketball team to a 79-61 victory at No. 12 Waukee Northwest. It was Gage's fourth game back after recovering from a torn ACL. She had averaged 10 points in her first three games. "It's … [Read more...] about Gage shakes off rust, scores season-high 27 in Ankeny girls’ victory over Wolves

Hawkettes make 13 3-pointers, force 28 turnovers in 81-35 victory at Indianola

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The shots were falling on Monday for the Ankeny girls' basketball team. The eighth-ranked Hawkettes made 13 3-point goals and rolled to an 81-35 victory at Indianola in a non-conference game. They improved to 5-2 on the season, while the Indians' record dropped to 2-4. "It was good to see the girls shoot the ball well," said Ankeny coach Nate Tobey. … [Read more...] about Hawkettes make 13 3-pointers, force 28 turnovers in 81-35 victory at Indianola