Five Takeaways: Ankeny 64 vs Dowling Catholic 61

<em><strong>Ankeny  --</strong> </em>This was a wild one: an up and down roller-coaster ride of a basketball game that ended with a huge Ankeny Hawkettes win, that despite 46 points from Dowling superstar <strong>Caitlin Clark.</strong> Clark was unbelievable tonight, in the second through fourth quarters, especially, that's when she scored 44 of her 46 points. The first quarter, though, she struggled, and Ankeny raced out to a 13-0 lead as a result. No lead is safe though, with one of the nation's best point guards on the other team. Clark promptly went off in the second quarter and that Hawkettes lead was vanquished very quickly as the 5'11 point guard went nits in the second quarter to the tune of 21 points. That after scoring just two in the first quarter. The crafty junior scored another 13 points in the third quarter, and the Maroons' lead ballooned to as much as 13. But then the Hawkettes made their move. Ankeny remained calm, poised and got got hot late in the third quarter. They began stifling Clark defensively, and simultaneously, shots started dropping. The Hawkettes bridged the third and fourth quarters with a 22-4 run. In the final minute, Clarke was tough, and despite her Maroons being down five with 42 ticks left, they were still very much alive. But Ankeny's <strong>Sara McCullough</strong>, <strong>Ashley Harrington</strong> and<strong> Kayla Pitz</strong> were unflappable down the stretch, canning 11 of 12 free-throws in the final minute-and-a-half to help seal the come-from-behind win. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18pt;color: #ff6600"><strong>Team Scoring</strong></span> <strong>Dowling --  </strong>4  23  17  17  -- 61 <strong>Ankeny --  </strong>15  5  21  23  -- 64 &nbsp; <span style="color: #ff6600;font-size: 18pt"><strong>Individual Scoring </strong></span> <strong>Dowling: </strong>Caitlin Clark 46, Grace Gaber 7, Emma Gipple 3, Nyajouk Toang 2, Meg Simplot 2 <strong>Ankeny: </strong>Sara McCullough 18, Kayla Pitz 18, Ashley Harrington 13, Abby Johnson 8, Holly Trimble 3, Jaelynn Kueker 2, Isabelle Vacek 2. &nbsp; <span style="color: #ff6600;font-size: 18pt"><strong>Five Takeaways</strong></span> &nbsp; <strong>Caitlin Clark is a Bucket</strong> Maybe the most impressive part of her 46 point outburst is that she scored 44 of it in just three quarters. Clark, the state's top-ranked 2020 prospect, struggled in the first quarter, scoring just two points. But she went on to can seven 3s after that and a whole slew of other buckets en route to the 46 points. Which by the way, isn't even her season high. The 5'11 phenom scored 47 points on January 11 against Urbandale. &nbsp; <strong>Ankeny Run Fueled by 3s</strong> Down 13 midway through the third quarter and with the best player in the state hotter than fish grease on the other side, things were looking gloomy for Ankeny. But then it started raining 3s for the Hawkettes. And when the dust had settled, they had bridged the third and fourth quarter with a massive 22-4 run and canned five 3s during that span to not only get right back into the game, but retake a lead in the fourth quarter that they would not relinquish. &nbsp; <strong>Hawkettes' Poise Pays Off</strong> Caitlin Clark was red-hot, unstoppable and she was not going to stop scoring down the stretch. The only chance the Hawkettes had of hanging on to a slim fourth quarter lead was to make their free-throws late, and that's just what they did. In the final minute-and-a-half, the Hawkettes made 11 of 12 free-throws, and that was the biggest reason they were able to secure the win. <strong>Sara McCullough</strong> made all four of her free-throws down the stretch, <strong>Ashely Harrington</strong> made both of hers, too. <strong>Kayla Pitz</strong> sank five of six. &nbsp; <strong>Abby Johnson is Back</strong> Ankeny's second-leading scorer this season, Abby Johnson, was missing from the lineup for over a month after sustaining  a foot injury back in December. She's back now, and made her presence felt in a big way tonight. She may not be 100 percent yet, but her ability to put the ball in the hoop is certainly an added dimension for the Hawkettes. Johnson, a sophomore guard, has a nose for the ball, and a knack for scoring. She was the catalyst for the 22-4 run in the second half. And scored eight points while providing some essential minutes off the bench tonight. &nbsp; <strong>No Lead is Safe</strong> For the first time in as long as I can remember, I witnessed a game where both teams held double-digit leads and each of them let it slip away. The Hawks led 13-0 out of the gates, but when Caitlin Clark caught fire, that lead was erased in no time. Then the Maroons led by 13 in the third quarter, before the entire Hawkettes team caught fire with a 22-4 run, and the big Dowling lead was gone by midway though the fourth quarter. It was a wild ride tonight; maybe the best game -- boys or girls -- I've seen this season. &nbsp; &nbsp; https://youtu.be/eoJ1d61bk2E