Game Report: Southeast Polk VS Ankeny

The Southeast Polk Rams welcomed in the Ankeny Hawks last night for a little cross-town rivalry. These two programs might not be located in the same town but it sure seems like it's close enough that there is a heated rivalry between both programs.   This one was all Hawks from the tip. They won the jump ball and they never looked back. Things started out 10-0 quickly for the Hawks as their stifling defense led to several misses by the Rams as a whole. The next thing you know, it's half time and the Hawks are almost up 20 points. When the final buzzer sounded, the final count was 72-40 in favor of the Hawks as they took care of business in the 2nd half.   This might not have been a close contest but there were prospects from each side that stood out so let's meet those players! -   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    Williams was the heart, soul, and motor for the Hawks once again last night and that started right from the opening tip. Williams showed up big in the first quarter with multiple assists to open shooters from the middle of the lane, multiple rebounds, and multiple buckets from all offensive levels. She followed that up with some great team-play in the 2nd paired with some staggering defense. She made all the right choices, getting into the teeth of the defense, eventually killing the Rams from the inside-out and she absolutely dominated her 1v1 matchup in the 4th, finishing things off with a new career high 34 points. The most impactful thing for Williams with this victory is that she got others involved. That's crucial as this group moves into the Post season, where everyone else will need to continue to step up a little bit more as we get close to the State Tournament.     Some might call it crazy but [player_tooltip player_id='1201513' first='Ali' last='Aguirre'] is going to be the biggest "x-factor" for this group in the grand scheme of things as we move forward. When Aguirre can take pressure off Williams, it's noteworthy. Those little breaks are what help Williams gather her strength throughout the duration of an entire contest as she is her team's offensive and defensive specialist. Aguirre took care of business and started this game out on fire from deep on O, hitting her first two attempts from the outside in the first quarter. From there, the Hawks did whatever they wanted on that side of the ball. Aguirre was getting to the lane off of baseline takes from the corner, she was hitting open jumpers when defenders would sag off, she would post up smaller mismatches when those opportunities presented themselves, and she got to the foul line a decent amount demonstrating that she is not afraid of the contact. The more efficient that Aguirre can play, the better for the Hawks. If she can do what she did last night, who knows how far this team will go.     The role you are on your team is the one that best helps your team succeed and [player_tooltip player_id='561262' first='Reagan' last='Baldwin'] knows her role. Her role is to shoot the basketball off the catch from deep off of other guard's creation. Baldwin can handle somewhat herself but she is at her best when she is hitting deep shots on the outside. Last night, Baldwin came into the game and did what she was suppose to. She hit her first two 3-pointers from the Wing and she followed that up with lacing another down the stretch when the Rams were making a run. Like I said above, anyone and everyone that can help take pressure off Williams is going to be very important for the Hawks as we move into the end of February. Baldwin needs to continue to play her role and she will love where it leads this group in the end. When they can spread the floor and hit shots from deep, they are very tough to guard in reality.     Clark didn't have the best shooting night from the floor but she did get to the line numerous times for some free attempts at the charity stripe. Clark led the way for the Rams with 12 points, while going 2-10 from the field and 8-9 from the free throw line. Clark has aways been known as a hooper that gets a lot of her action at the bucket. She likes to get downhill off the dribble going right and she isn't afraid to hit others than might become open for an assist at times. The problem in this contest wasn't getting open for the Rams, it was finishing. There were probably 10-12 missed layups by this group in total and when that happens, it's hard to win when you are outmatched with size and athletic ability.     I was told that when Ivy Ohorilko gets open space in three point land, she is a sniper and she demonstrated that last night. Ohorilko is KNOCK-DOWN from behind the arc off of screening action. No other way to phrase it. In her open attempts last night, she swished both off of these type of screening situations and frankly, it was really impressive. Her form, footwork, coordination, and ability to get a shot off so quickly is noteworthy and makes you wonder why she is not being used more often down the stretch. From my understanding, it's because she is competing in multiple sports year round with Softball as her main passion but If I'm the coaching staff, I'm thinking why not use her more often. She produces at a high rate, you just need to get her open with some screening action and the rest will be history.     There is a lot of future potential for Gracie Wilson. Wilson is only a Freshman and she has a great feel for the game on the offensive end. She already understands situations pretty well, she has natural length, and she has good vision down the floor. Last night she made a handful of her attempts because she could shoot over the smaller defender in the midrange with her reach. The biggest question we will have over Wilson's career is on the other side of the ball. Her length gives her a natural advantage in this sport but she needs to learn how to use that properly. Defensively, Wilson received the hardest task last night. The task of having to defend [player_tooltip player_id='342205' first='Jayla' last='Williams'] with no help on the back side and with no true guidance on what to do. This strategy did not go over too well as Williams ended with a career high in points and she could have had a whole lot more if she wanted too but you have remember, Wilson is really young in her career. The more she plays, the better she will get so I can't wait to see what she becomes as an upperclassmen somewhere down the line.

The Southeast Polk Rams welcomed in the Ankeny Hawks last night for a little cross-town rivalry. These two programs might not be located in the same town but it sure seems like it's close enough that there is a heated rivalry between both programs.