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Scott DeJong

‘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

After their bus breaks down, Bobcats get thumped by Centennial in regional game

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Scott DeJong told his Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball players to be prepared for anything prior to Saturday's Class 5A regional semifinal against visiting Marshalltown. That turned out to be some good advice. The Bobcats arrived late for the game after their bus broke down on the way to Ankeny. The contest started about 30 minutes later than … [Read more...] about After their bus breaks down, Bobcats get thumped by Centennial in regional game

AN HISTORIC WIN: Hawkettes rally past Centennial, defeat rival for first time

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It took nearly a decade for the Ankeny girls' basketball team to finally defeat its crosstown rival. When it finally happened on Friday night, the 12th-ranked Hawkettes also captured a share of the CIML Iowa Conference title. The Ankeny players doused coach Dru McAnelly with Gatorade in the locker room after the host Hawkettes rallied past No. 2 Ankeny … [Read more...] about AN HISTORIC WIN: Hawkettes rally past Centennial, defeat rival for first time

White’s perfect shooting night leads Jaguars past Dowling in top-5 showdown

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With each victory, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team appears to be more and more ready for postseason play. The third-ranked Jaguars extended their winning streak to 12 games with a 41-31 triumph over No. 5 Dowling Catholic in a non-conference game on Tuesday. Fans of both teams packed into the Centennial gym for the top-five showdown. "The … [Read more...] about White’s perfect shooting night leads Jaguars past Dowling in top-5 showdown

‘We’re just trying to get better’: Jaguars roll past Ames, clinch share of CIML title

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Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball coach Scott DeJong isn't too worried about the CIML Iowa Conference race. He's more concerned about the bigger picture. "We're just trying to get better and if the conference (title) comes along the way, that's great," DeJong said. The third-ranked Jaguars clinched at least a share of the league crown with a 53-15 … [Read more...] about ‘We’re just trying to get better’: Jaguars roll past Ames, clinch share of CIML title

Jaguars’ winning streak reaches 10 games with rout over Marshalltown

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The winning streak for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team has reached double digits. The third-ranked Jaguars rolled to their 10th straight victory with a 59-6 win over visiting Marshalltown on Thursday. It was their second triumph over the Bobcats in the last seven days after posting a 66-23 victory at Marshalltown on Friday. Centennial … [Read more...] about Jaguars’ winning streak reaches 10 games with rout over Marshalltown

On Senior Night, Jaguars overcome some poor shooting to defeat Waukee

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It's been a long winter already for Ankeny Centennial senior Olivia Anderson. Anderson has missed her final basketball season due to a knee injury that she suffered while playing volleyball in the fall, but she got an opportunity to take the court one last time on Tuesday. Anderson started for the Jaguars in their Senior Night game against visiting … [Read more...] about On Senior Night, Jaguars overcome some poor shooting to defeat Waukee

Centennial girls cruise to another easy win, take control of conference race

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team may not need any help to win the CIML Iowa Conference title. But the Jaguars got some anyway. While third-ranked Centennial rolled to a 66-23 victory at Marshalltown on Friday, No. 12 Waukee Northwest posted a 63-25 win over No. 10 Ankeny to hand the Hawkettes a second loss in league play. The Jaguars, … [Read more...] about Centennial girls cruise to another easy win, take control of conference race

‘Business-like’ Jaguars rout East girls, extend winning streak to 7 games

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Ankeny Centennial's Kennedy White racked up a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds during the first half of Tuesday's non-conference girls' basketball game at Des Moines East. White finished with 13 points, outscoring the Scarlets all by herself in fourth-ranked Centennial's 82-8 victory. Five of her teammates also outscored the entire East … [Read more...] about ‘Business-like’ Jaguars rout East girls, extend winning streak to 7 games

Centennial girls romp past Mason City, maintain sole possession of first place

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team showed no signs of fatigue on Friday after playing a game at Fort Dodge just 24 hours earlier. The fourth-ranked Jaguars rolled to a 67-17 victory over visiting Mason City to maintain sole possession of first place in the CIML Iowa Conference. They improved to 7-1 in the league and 12-2 overall, while Mason … [Read more...] about Centennial girls romp past Mason City, maintain sole possession of first place

Murray scores career-high 26, leads Jaguars to hard-fought win at Fort Dodge

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Cleao Murray poured in a career-high 26 points and the fourth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 57-51 victory at Fort Dodge on Thursday. Murray's previous high of 20 points came in a win over Des Moines East two years ago. "She really kept us in the game in the first half," said Centennial coach … [Read more...] about Murray scores career-high 26, leads Jaguars to hard-fought win at Fort Dodge

No. 4 Centennial girls romp to 75-17 victory, keep Huskies winless on season

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Tuesday's non-conference game against visiting Des Moines Hoover wasn't expected to be much of a test for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team. And it wasn't. The fourth-ranked Jaguars jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter, built a 43-3 advantage at halftime and cruised to a 75-17 victory over their winless opponent. "The game … [Read more...] about No. 4 Centennial girls romp to 75-17 victory, keep Huskies winless on season

CENTENNIAL REIGN: Jags’ dominance over rival continues with 57-37 victory

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Cleao Murray and her teammates on the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball squad have never lost to crosstown rival Ankeny. They'd like to keep it that way. Murray scored 16 points and the seventh-ranked Jaguars defeated No. 8 Ankeny, 57-37, in a CIML Iowa Conference showdown on Tuesday at Centennial. The win allowed Centennial to pull into a … [Read more...] about CENTENNIAL REIGN: Jags’ dominance over rival continues with 57-37 victory

‘The game was a little bit personal’: White leads Jaguars past her former team

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A year ago, Kennedy White played a key role for an Ames girls' basketball team that won nine games. On Friday, White got a chance to play against her former teammates. The junior post player had 16 points, six rebounds and one block to lead seventh-ranked Ankeny Centennial to a 71-10 victory over the visiting Little Cyclones. "I definitely enjoyed … [Read more...] about ‘The game was a little bit personal’: White leads Jaguars past her former team

‘It wasn’t pretty’: Jaguars overcome slow start, avenge loss to Waukee Northwest

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball program is known for its trademark defense. Tuesday's game against visiting Waukee Northwest was a textbook example of how the Jaguars can win even when they are struggling to score. Seventh-ranked Centennial overcame a 14-7 halftime deficit to defeat No. 11 Northwest, 33-25, in a CIML Iowa Conference game at … [Read more...] about ‘It wasn’t pretty’: Jaguars overcome slow start, avenge loss to Waukee Northwest

Wolves overcome 10-point deficit against Centennial girls with 30-9 run in 2nd half

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After getting off to a slow start, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team rallied to take an 18-14 halftime lead at Waukee Northwest in a top-10 matchup on Tuesday. "We felt really good that we were up at halftime the way that we played," said Centennial coach Scott DeJong. The Jaguars felt even better after they scored the first six points of … [Read more...] about Wolves overcome 10-point deficit against Centennial girls with 30-9 run in 2nd half

‘We came through at the end’: Strong 4th quarter lifts Jaguars past Mason City

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After a long bus ride to Mason City, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team didn't play its best game on Thursday night. But it was good enough for the win. The fifth-ranked Jaguars outscored Mason City in the fourth quarter, 16-6, to post a 39-31 victory in a CIML Iowa Conference contest. "It was a close game," said Centennial coach Scott … [Read more...] about ‘We came through at the end’: Strong 4th quarter lifts Jaguars past Mason City

‘We were right there with them’: Jaguars falter in final 2 minutes at No. 1 Johnston

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For nearly 30 minutes, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team went toe-to-toe with the state's No. 1 squad. It was the final 120 seconds, though, that proved to be a different story. Johnston used a late 10-0 run to defeat the No. 5 Jaguars, 48-39, in a non-conference game on Tuesday at the Dragons' gym. "I thought we competed really hard, and … [Read more...] about ‘We were right there with them’: Jaguars falter in final 2 minutes at No. 1 Johnston