CIML Standouts - Ankeny Hawks

In an early test for two ranked teams in class 5A, Ankeny and Des Moines Valley faced off in a well-played, defensive test. If you are looking for two disciplined teams then this was the matchup for you - every basket was hard-fought and both squads should be proud of the defensive effort they put on the floor on Tuesday. Read along to see my breakdown for the victorious Ankeny Hawks!    Senior [player_tooltip player_id='311376' first='Savannah' last='Gage'] is a player anyone would want on their team. She has a knack for getting open looks around the rim with her ability to read closeouts, and she is aggressive off the catch. She's one of those players who knows how to impact the game in different ways, including drawing defenders to find open teammates (Gage finished with 8 assists on the night). She's also got a solid handle and is comfortable shooting from deep. Defensively, she's long and athletic and makes any bucket against her a tough one. Gage has the skills and smarts - and both were on display on Tuesday.     [player_tooltip player_id='1044947' first='Kyla' last='Schaapveld'] is a solid presence for the Ankeny Hawks. She is consistent in all areas defensively - she's more than capable guarding ball handlers, jumps to the right places in help defense, and is disciplined while contesting shooters. She doesn't make many mistakes out there and you can count on her to keep the ball moving and make the right play offensively. When her name is called, Schaapveld can step up - she was 2/3 from the floor with a big three pointer in the second half. Schaapveld helps her team go and is a much-needed piece for the Hawks this season.     Jayla William's clutch gene was on display for the Hawks on Tuesday as she hit a big-time three as the shot clock expired, and tracked down a handful of rebounds in crunch time for Ankeny. Speedy and skilled, Williams used a solid handle to blow by defenders for finishes at the rim. She can finish with both hands, does a good job moving off the ball, and has a confident stroke behind the arc. I was especially impressed with Williams' drive to track down rebounds, specifically in the fourth quarter. You can count on Williams to do two things for the Hawks - do the little things right, and make big plays.     [player_tooltip player_id='782498' first='Ainsley' last='Kiene'] was the x-factor for Ankeny on Tuesday. The 5'8" combo guard did a bit of everything for the Hawks, including bringing the ball up against pressure, hitting tough shots, and playing full-court defense (and finishing with a team high 17 points). Kiene impressed me from the start with her solid handle, and continued to impress as she hit a tough step-back off a punch dribble and followed it up with a contested jumper from a skip pass. Kiene is solid defensively too - she's a pesky on-ball defender and knows when to help off of her player. Based on her performances so far, I predict a breakout season this year for [player_tooltip player_id='782498' first='Ainsley' last='Kiene'].     If I could say one word about [player_tooltip player_id='561262' first='Reagan' last='Baldwin'] vs Valley on Tuesday, it would be knockdown. The six-foot shooter was 4/6 from deep vs. the Tigers and is shooting a team high 52% from behind the arc thus far this year. Baldwin's shots weren't just catch and shoot threes, either - she is smooth off the dribble, can create space off the shot fake and side step, and no matter how much pressure you think you put on her, it's probably not enough - that shot is still going up. She uses her size to her advantage too with some strong seals and had a smooth scoop finish at the rim. I predict many more threes is Baldwin's future this season.

In an early test for two ranked teams in class 5A, Ankeny and Des Moines Valley faced off in a well-played, defensive test. If you are looking for two disciplined teams then this was the matchup for you - every basket was hard-fought and both squads should be proud of the defensive effort they put on the floor on Tuesday. Read along to see my breakdown for the victorious Ankeny Hawks!