Ankeny Fanatic

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Scott DeJong

Strong finish allows Jaguars to capture CIML Central Conference crown

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When Scott DeJong goes to sleep at night, he probably dreams of new ways to stop his opponents. That's how much his Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team focuses on defense. On Friday, the fifth-ranked Jaguars allowed just one point over the last 3 1/2 minutes and rallied for a 45-35 victory over No. 6 Waukee, spoiling the Warriors' Senior Night. … [Read more...] about Strong finish allows Jaguars to capture CIML Central Conference crown

Centennial girls shake off slow start, beat Dodgers for 8th straight win

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It took awhile for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to take control of Tuesday's game at Fort Dodge. The fifth-ranked Jaguars trailed in the second quarter, 19-16, before scoring the last nine points of the half. They then used a 24-4 run in the third quarter to pull away for a 62-41 victory in a CIML non-conference game. "We kind of had a … [Read more...] about Centennial girls shake off slow start, beat Dodgers for 8th straight win

Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Rachel Schon, Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball

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Rachel Schon is the Ankeny Fanatic prep of the week sponsored by Revive Clinic and Spa. The junior center has helped the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to a 16-3 record and a No. 5 ranking in Class 5A. Schon is averaging 12.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. She is shooting 52.4 percent from the field (66-of-126), including 50 percent from … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Rachel Schon, Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball

Hot-shooting Jaguars give DeJong his 600th career coaching victory

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Fans of the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team came prepared to celebrate on Friday night. The Jaguars' faithful held up signs to congratulate coach Scott DeJong on his 600th career victory following his team's 53-25 win at Ames. Afterwards, DeJong shared the achievement with his players and assistant coaches. "It just means we've had a lot of … [Read more...] about Hot-shooting Jaguars give DeJong his 600th career coaching victory

Jaguars, Hawkettes to host regional semifinals on Feb. 17

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team won't even have to leave its own gym in order to qualify for the Class 5A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. The fifth-ranked Jaguars earned a No. 1 seed in Region 5 after posting a 50-42 overtime victory against Des Moines East on Tuesday at Centennial. They raised their record to 15-3 on the … [Read more...] about Jaguars, Hawkettes to host regional semifinals on Feb. 17

Centennial girls rally past East in OT, celebrate Senior Night with victory

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Down by seven points with less than 4 minutes left to play, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team was in danger of suffering a rare home-court loss on its Senior Night. But Chloe Olson refused to let it happen. The senior forward scored four points down the stretch to help force overtime, then added a pair of free throws in the extra period as … [Read more...] about Centennial girls rally past East in OT, celebrate Senior Night with victory

Centennial girls dominate second half, pull away from Hawkettes

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The Ankeny girls' basketball team used a strong defensive effort to build a 16-13 halftime lead at Ankeny Centennial on Friday. In the second half, the Jaguars' defense was even better. Seventh-ranked Centennial held the No. 15 Hawkettes to just five points in the final two quarters while pulling away for a 39-21 victory. The Jaguars improved their … [Read more...] about Centennial girls dominate second half, pull away from Hawkettes

Ankeny teams enter Friday’s rematch at Centennial with plenty of confidence

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If Friday's basketball doubleheader at Ankeny Centennial is as entertaining as last month's rivalry games at Ankeny, then fans of the Hawks and Jaguars will be in for a treat. Both the girls' and boys' games came down to the last possession on Dec. 21, when Centennial posted a pair of narrow wins. The Jaguars escaped with a 43-41 victory in the opener as … [Read more...] about Ankeny teams enter Friday’s rematch at Centennial with plenty of confidence

Centennial girls build big lead, then hold off Mohawks

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  One of the state's best girls' basketball players scored 25 points on Tuesday in a game against Ankeny Centennial. It still wasn't nearly enough. The eighth-ranked Jaguars traveled to Mason City for a CIML non-conference contest and came away with a 59-40 victory over the Mohawks, who are ranked seventh in Class 4A. Centennial relied … [Read more...] about Centennial girls build big lead, then hold off Mohawks

Olson, Jaguars muscle their way past Valley girls

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Ankeny Centennial's Chloe Olson spends most of her time in the summer on the softball field, hitting long home runs for the Jaguars. In the winter, her strength carries over to the basketball court. The senior post player scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the eighth-ranked Jaguars to a 63-57 victory over No. 15 Valley on … [Read more...] about Olson, Jaguars muscle their way past Valley girls

Williams makes her season debut as Centennial girls rout Roughriders

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It didn't take long for Keanna Williams to show that her surgically-repaired right knee is as good as new. After checking into a game for the first time this season, the Ankeny Centennial point guard stole the ball near midcourt with about 1 minute left in the first quarter of Tuesday's CIML non-conference contest against visiting Des Moines … [Read more...] about Williams makes her season debut as Centennial girls rout Roughriders

Jaguars hold off late Waukee charge, move into tie for first place

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Sydney Wycoff was relieved to hear that teammates Rachel Schon and Alexandria Keahna-Harris would be returning to action for Friday's showdown against visiting Waukee. "I was so excited when they said they were playing," Wycoff said of the two post players. "It just helps so much with that inside-out game, especially because we had eight … [Read more...] about Jaguars hold off late Waukee charge, move into tie for first place

Jaguars tumble to S.E. Polk, but Burns emerges as potential star

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At the start of the season, sophomore guard Meg Burns was expected to be a complementary player for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team. Now, somewhat out of necessity, she's becoming an emerging star. Burns scored a career-high 17 points on Tuesday in the fifth-ranked Jaguars' 59-45 loss at No. 10 Southeast Polk. She had eight of her points … [Read more...] about Jaguars tumble to S.E. Polk, but Burns emerges as potential star

‘Resilient’ Jaguars rally past Ames with huge fourth quarter

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As the injuries continue to mount for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team, so do the victories. The fifth-ranked Jaguars overcame two more injuries to defeat visiting Ames, 50-40, on Friday. Leading scorer Rachel Schon re-sprained her ankle in practice on Wednesday and did not play, while fellow post player Alexandria Keahna-Harris sat out after … [Read more...] about ‘Resilient’ Jaguars rally past Ames with huge fourth quarter

Wycoff makes successful transition to point guard, leads No. 5 Jaguars to 8-2 start

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When Keanna Williams returns to the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball lineup later this month, the senior point guard may not get her old position back. That's because Sydney Wycoff doesn't want to give it up. Wycoff, a senior, took over the point guard duties after Williams suffered a torn ACL during an AAU tournament last summer. She has led the … [Read more...] about Wycoff makes successful transition to point guard, leads No. 5 Jaguars to 8-2 start

Wycoff’s buzzer-beater lifts Jaguars past Ankeny in thriller

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Sydney Wycoff was still trembling several minutes after she made a game-winning basket. "It's awesome. I'm so excited," Wycoff said. "I'm still shaking." The senior guard drove the length of the court in the final 6 seconds, split two defenders and banked in a left-handed layup as time expired to give the sixth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' … [Read more...] about Wycoff’s buzzer-beater lifts Jaguars past Ankeny in thriller