The Ankeny Hawkettes’ road to the state tournament has officially begun. Regional pairings were set today, Feb. 12, and the Hawkettes are the No. 2 seed in Region 3 which contains Waukee Northwest, Sioux City West, Sioux City East as well as Council Bluff Jefferson. Ankeny has not made it to state since the split in 2013, but the Hawkettes are looking to change that.

Under Nate Tobey’s second season as the varsity head coach, the Ankeny girls are 9-12 on the season, with a 5-11 record in the highly competitive Central Iowa Metro League (CIML) conference.

Ankeny is the No. 2 seed in Region 3 of the class 5A bracket and is set to play Sioux City East (Black Raiders) in the first round. This matchup will take place on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 7:00 p.m. at Ankeny High School.

This is the first recorded matchup between the two teams, reports Bound Iowa. The Sioux City Black Raiders are 14-5 on the season, finishing second in the Missouri River Conference with an 11-3 conference record. The Raiders are on a seven-game winning streak and will look to pick up two more wins over their last two regular season games.

The Hawkettes have lost three of their last five, but have had multiple close calls with top teams, including a three-point loss to the number one seed in Region 3, the Waukee Northwest Wolves. If both the Hawkettes and Wolves win their first-round games, we could see the third matchup between the two squads this season.

Players to watch

Ankeny’s Jayla Williams, in her third varsity season, has averaged 14.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game to lead the Hawkettes. Her defensive prowess also helps the Hawkette squad with nearly three steals per game and 1.3 blocks. The Division 1 recruit will look to help the Hawkettes reach the regional final.

For Sioux City East, junior guard Jaylee Jackson leads the way with 11.9 points for the Black Raiders. She also contributes an average of 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Other notable players include senior Kiki Demke with 11.1 points with 2.3 assists and freshman Brinley Winklepleck with 4.6 steals per game as well as 3.2 assists.

The Hawkettes will also look to junior Ainsley Kiene, who averages 11.2 points with 6.4 rebounds and nearly two steals per game. Senior Savannah Gage will also be a weapon for Ankeny, with 11 points per game as well as a team-high 3.1 assists.

Looking Ahead

If the Hawkettes pull off the semifinal victory, there are three possible opponents they could face in the regional final.

The first potential matchup is with a familiar foe, Waukee Northwest. The Wolves finished third in the CIML conference, with a lineup heavy in underclassmen. With no seniors on the roster, Northwest is a team with little experience but a lot of talent. They are led by sophomore guard Romey Croatt, who averages 14.1 points per game. In the most recent meeting between the Hawkettes and Wolves, Croatt was held to five points while shooting 1 for 8.

Another Missouri River Conference standout is the Sioux City West Wolverines. The Wolverines are 13-6 overall and 10-4 in conference. With seniors Vera Grom and Hannah Burge averaging 14.4 and 13.5 points respectively, the Wolves will have to watch out for this duo. In this scenario, the Hawkettes would host the regional final for the second straight year.

The Council Bluff Jefferson Yellow Jackets are searching for their first win this season. Although the season has not gone as they hoped, they are preparing to face Sioux City West in the quarterfinals. A victory would give them the opportunity to compete against Waukee Northwest. Junior Mariha Nichols has led the way for the Yellow Jackets so far and will look to help her team advance.

Wrap Up

All in all, the Hawkettes will look to get a win over the Raiders at home on Feb. 22 to advance to the regional finals and keep their goal of reaching Wells Fargo.