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Scott DeJong

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

Centennial girls deliver early knockout punch, roll to victory over Railsplitters

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter of Tuesday's non-conference game at Des Moines Lincoln. The Railsplitters never recovered from the knockout punch. Centennial extended its advantage to 34-3 at halftime and 42-3 after three quarters before coasting to a 45-12 victory. The eighth-ranked Jaguars … [Read more...] about Centennial girls deliver early knockout punch, roll to victory over Railsplitters

‘I was really feeling my shot’: Clark scores 22 points, leads Jaguars past Fort Dodge

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Ankeny Centennial's Makenna Clark had scored a total of 19 points in her first three games of the season. It took her less than a half on Friday to surpass that total. Clark made five 3-point goals and scored 21 points in the first two quarters as the eighth-ranked Jaguars built a 36-13 halftime lead against visiting Fort Dodge and went on to post a … [Read more...] about ‘I was really feeling my shot’: Clark scores 22 points, leads Jaguars past Fort Dodge

Jaguars shut down Dailey, lead from start to finish in victory over No. 5 S.E. Polk

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team struggled at the free-throw line during Tuesday's game against visiting Southeast Polk, making just 16-of-29 attempts. But the way the Jaguars were defending, it didn't matter. Ninth-ranked Centennial led from start to finish and posted a 45-38 victory over the No. 5 Rams. The Jaguars improved to 3-0 on the … [Read more...] about Jaguars shut down Dailey, lead from start to finish in victory over No. 5 S.E. Polk

Jaguars make nine 3-pointers, cruise to 42-point victory at Urbandale

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The ball was falling through the hoop on Friday for the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team. The ninth-ranked Jaguars found their shooting stroke in a 58-16 victory at Urbandale. They raised their record to 2-0 on the season, while the J-Hawks dropped to 0-2. "We shot the ball well," said Centennial coach Scott DeJong. "We hadn't done that in the … [Read more...] about Jaguars make nine 3-pointers, cruise to 42-point victory at Urbandale

‘We were happy to get out of there’: Jaguars win opener over improved North

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A matchup against Des Moines North used to be an easy win for most girls' basketball teams in the CIML. Ankeny Centennial found out on Tuesday in its season opener that this year's version of the Polar Bears is different. The ninth-ranked Jaguars pulled away in the second half for a 44-30 road victory, but North showed that it's going to be a lot more … [Read more...] about ‘We were happy to get out of there’: Jaguars win opener over improved North

No. 9 Jaguars return experienced guards, add talented post player from Ames

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Some high school basketball teams are fortunate to have two good ballhandlers. The Ankeny Centennial girls' squad is blessed to have four veteran guards who can share the ballhandling duties. Seniors Cleao Murray and Elle Street along with juniors Makenna Clark and Averi Porter will form the nucleus of this year's roster. "Those four are the core of … [Read more...] about No. 9 Jaguars return experienced guards, add talented post player from Ames

Blimpie Sub of the Week: Makenna Clark, Centennial girls’ basketball

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Sophomore guard Makenna Clark helped the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to a 16-3 record this season. Clark averaged 4.9 points per game. She scored a career-high 16 points in the Jaguars' 79-43 win at Ames on Dec. 22. That win provided Centennial coach Scott DeJong with his 650th career victory. "Makenna had a great start to our season, … [Read more...] about Blimpie Sub of the Week: Makenna Clark, Centennial girls’ basketball

‘We couldn’t buy a basket’: Long shooting drought dooms Jaguars’ title hopes

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The Waukee girls' basketball players were well aware of Ankeny Centennial's ability to come back from a double-digit deficit. The top-ranked Warriors weren't about to let it happen again. Waukee built a 28-18 halftime lead, then used a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 50-29 victory over No. 5 Centennial in the Class 5A semifinals on … [Read more...] about ‘We couldn’t buy a basket’: Long shooting drought dooms Jaguars’ title hopes

MARCH MADNESS BEGINS: Jaguars erase 14-point deficit, top Rams at buzzer

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March Madness is off to a roaring start at Wells Fargo Arena. Jackie Pippett scored the winning basket at the buzzer to give the fifth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team a 47-45 victory over No. 4 Southeast Polk in the Class 5A quarterfinals on Monday. "I really didn't even think I was going to get the ball," said Pippett. "But I did, and … [Read more...] about MARCH MADNESS BEGINS: Jaguars erase 14-point deficit, top Rams at buzzer

Pippett’s buzzer-beater caps Jaguars’ amazing rally to beat S.E. Polk

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Holy comeback. For the second straight game, the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team pulled off an amazing rally. Jackie Pippett scored the winning basket as time expired and the fifth-ranked Jaguars overcame a 14-point deficit to beat No. 4 Southeast Polk, 47-45, in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state tournament on Monday at Wells Fargo … [Read more...] about Pippett’s buzzer-beater caps Jaguars’ amazing rally to beat S.E. Polk