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Scott DeJong

FOUL PLAY: Jaguars adjust slowly to ‘tighter whistle’ in loss at No. 8 Dowling

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Some early foul trouble proved to be disastrous for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team on Tuesday. The fifth-ranked Jaguars fell behind in the first quarter at No. 8 Dowling Catholic, 22-10, and could never recover. The Maroons went on to post a 57-40 victory. "We just didn't play well enough," said Centennial coach Scott DeJong. "The foul … [Read more...] about FOUL PLAY: Jaguars adjust slowly to ‘tighter whistle’ in loss at No. 8 Dowling

‘It was a great win’: Centennial girls use late rally to knock off No. 6 S.E. Polk

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In the latest Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union basketball rankings, Ankeny Centennial moved up one spot to No. 5 in Class 5A, trading places with CIML rival Southeast Polk. Perhaps the IGHSAU officials can predict the future. On Friday, the two teams battled down to the wire before Centennial escaped with a 54-52 victory on its home court. The … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great win’: Centennial girls use late rally to knock off No. 6 S.E. Polk

‘We sure didn’t show any rust’: Clark, Crawford lead Jaguars past Waukee NW

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There was no holiday rust for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team. The sixth-ranked Jaguars jumped out to a 23-7 lead and rolled to a 44-30 victory over No. 7 Waukee Northwest in a CIML Conference game on Tuesday at Centennial. "We've been having great practices throughout the break so we were ready to finally get back out on the court and … [Read more...] about ‘We sure didn’t show any rust’: Clark, Crawford lead Jaguars past Waukee NW

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

Crawford, Centennial girls get off to fast start, cruise to road victory at Waukee

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team led from start to finish en route to a 48-29 victory on Friday at Waukee. The eighth-ranked Jaguars jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and held a 27-19 advantage at halftime. The No. 12 Warriors couldn't rally in the second half, when they scored just 10 points. "We definitely wanted to get out … [Read more...] about Crawford, Centennial girls get off to fast start, cruise to road victory at Waukee

‘We kept battling back’: Jaguars’ upset bid falls short against No. 2 Johnston

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Ankeny Centennial's Averi Porter was hoping to celebrate her birthday with a huge victory. Unfortunately, the Jaguars' upset bid came up just short. The second-ranked Johnston girls' basketball team scored the game's final seven points and escaped with a 46-40 win at No. 6 Centennial on Tuesday. The defending Class 5A state champion Dragons extended … [Read more...] about ‘We kept battling back’: Jaguars’ upset bid falls short against No. 2 Johnston

‘We took care of business’: Centennial girls rebound from loss to beat Ames

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team bounced back from Friday's loss at Valley with a 65-25 victory at Ames in a non-conference game on Saturday. The sixth-ranked Jaguars raised their record to 6-2. The Little Cyclones dropped to 1-5. "We had a knockdown, dragout game on Friday so we were a little slow at the beginning, but we took care of … [Read more...] about ‘We took care of business’: Centennial girls rebound from loss to beat Ames

Valley girls hold Jaguars scoreless over last 5 minutes to win seesaw battle

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A late scoring drought proved costly for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team on Friday. The sixth-ranked Jaguars went scoreless over the last 5 minutes and suffered a 44-40 loss at No. 8 Valley. The Tigers have won the last five meetings against Centennial. "We turned the ball over way too much," said Centennial coach Scott DeJong. "You have … [Read more...] about Valley girls hold Jaguars scoreless over last 5 minutes to win seesaw battle

‘She was very efficient’: White scores career-high 23 in Jaguars’ win over Riders

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Kennedy White was coming off a season-low six-point game in a loss to Dowling Catholic on Friday. It didn't take long for the senior post player to surpass that total on Tuesday. White poured in a career-high 23 points and also grabbed seven rebounds to lead the third-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to a 69-34 victory over No. 10 Des … [Read more...] about ‘She was very efficient’: White scores career-high 23 in Jaguars’ win over Riders

Zediker’s late free throws spoil Jaguars’ rally, lift Dowling Catholic to 65-64 win

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For the first time this season, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team played a game that went down to the wire. It resulted in a heartbreaking loss. The third-ranked Jaguars rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take a 64-63 lead with 9.4 seconds left, but No. 6 Dowling Catholic got a pair of free throws from Ava Zediker … [Read more...] about Zediker’s late free throws spoil Jaguars’ rally, lift Dowling Catholic to 65-64 win

No. 3 Jaguars crank up defense, cruise past Urbandale to raise record to 4-0

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team wasn't perfect on Tuesday, but the Jaguars' record remained spotless. Third-ranked Centennial allowed just eight points over the last three quarters and rolled past visiting Urbandale, 52-21, in its CIML Conference opener. The Jaguars are now 4-0 on the season. "They hit some shots early on. They made a … [Read more...] about No. 3 Jaguars crank up defense, cruise past Urbandale to raise record to 4-0

Despite shooting woes, Jaguars shut down I.C. Liberty to remain unbeaten

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Sometimes, the shots aren't falling for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team. Fortunately for the Jaguars, their defense seldom takes a day off. Third-ranked Centennial held No. 13 Iowa City Liberty to just 25 percent shooting and remained unbeaten with a 46-35 victory on Saturday at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. "Their guard … [Read more...] about Despite shooting woes, Jaguars shut down I.C. Liberty to remain unbeaten

Jaguars get Jenkins into early foul trouble, roll to 66-26 victory at North

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team found a way to neutralize Des Moines North standout Amani Jenkins. Get her in some early foul trouble. Jenkins sat out most of the first half with three fouls as visiting Centennial built a 26-9 halftime lead, and the third-ranked Jaguars went on to defeat No. 11 North, 66-26, in a non-conference game on … [Read more...] about Jaguars get Jenkins into early foul trouble, roll to 66-26 victory at North

TOTAL MISMATCH: Jaguars romp to 74-6 victory at East in season opener

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team will play perhaps the most difficult schedule in program history this season--thanks to the formation of the new nine-team CIML Conference. Friday's season opener at Des Moines East might have been one of the few breathers on the Jaguars' schedule. Third-ranked Centennial jumped out to a 28-1 lead at the end … [Read more...] about TOTAL MISMATCH: Jaguars romp to 74-6 victory at East in season opener

‘Very athletic’ Jags to rely on 3 returning seniors, large sophomore group

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Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball coach Scott DeJong always relies heavily on his seniors. This year, DeJong has a trio of senior starters with a lot of experience on the court. Guards Makenna Clark and Averi Porter both played key roles on last year's team along with post player Kennedy White, helping the Jaguars to a 20-4 record and a second … [Read more...] about ‘Very athletic’ Jags to rely on 3 returning seniors, large sophomore group

‘We knew it was a tough draw’: Talented Wahawks end Centennial’s bid for crown

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The Class 5A field for this year's girls' state basketball tournament might be one of the best ever. It's certainly the deepest. Sixth-ranked Waterloo West showed that it may be the most talented team in Class 5A with a 67-59 victory over No. 3 Ankeny Centennial in the quarterfinals on Monday at Wells Fargo Arena. The Wahawks (22-2) advanced to … [Read more...] about ‘We knew it was a tough draw’: Talented Wahawks end Centennial’s bid for crown

‘We left it all out on the court’: Jaguars fall to hot-shooting Waterloo West, 67-59

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team didn't go down without a fight. The third-ranked Jaguars made several runs in the second half but came up short against No. 6 Waterloo West, 67-59, in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state tournament on Monday at Wells Fargo Arena. "I think we left it all out on the court," said Centennial senior Cleao … [Read more...] about ‘We left it all out on the court’: Jaguars fall to hot-shooting Waterloo West, 67-59

‘There’s nothing like it!’: Centennial girls are headed back to Wells Fargo Arena

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Ankeny Centennial's Cleao Murray stood at the charity stripe in the final seconds of Wednesday's game against visiting Sioux City East with a chance to send her team to the girls' state basketball tournament. She wasn't going to let this opportunity slip away. Murray made four straight free throws in the final 7.8 seconds and the third-ranked Jaguars … [Read more...] about ‘There’s nothing like it!’: Centennial girls are headed back to Wells Fargo Arena

Jaguars earn another trip to state; Ankeny falls to Roughriders on buzzer-beater

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team is headed to Wells Fargo Arena for the second straight year. The Jaguars were nearly joined by crosstown rival Ankeny. Third-ranked Centennial held off No. 13 Sioux City East, 46-41, in a Class 5A regional final on Wednesday at Centennial. The Jaguars (20-3) advanced to the state tournament for the fourth … [Read more...] about Jaguars earn another trip to state; Ankeny falls to Roughriders on buzzer-beater