Scouting Report: Ottumwa at Ankeny Centennial
On paper Ankeny Centennial was supposed to rout the reeling Ottumwa Bulldogs, but instead it had to come-from-behind and stave off the feisty underdog. Centennial (13-8) was down 23-18 at the half after a dreadful shooting first two quarters, but…
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Continue ReadingOn paper Ankeny Centennial was supposed to rout the reeling Ottumwa Bulldogs, but instead it had to come-from-behind and stave off the feisty underdog.
Centennial (13-8) was down 23-18 at the half after a dreadful shooting first two quarters, but came out in the third quarter and promptly strung together a series of made shots, starting the quarter on an 11-0 run.
Eventually the Jaguars’ new-found lead would balloon to 11, but the Bulldogs fought back to tie the game at 37 by early in the fourth quarter.
From there Connor Cullen and Co. would assert themselves and out-rebounded, out-defended, and generally outplayed their southern Iowa counterparts, escaping with a nine point win.
Centennial finished its regular season with a 13-8 mark and earned a bye in the first round of substate. It’ll play the winner of Norwalk and Southeast Polk at home next Friday in a substate semifinal.
Ottumwa (4-16) will visit Cedar Rapids Prairie Monday nigh to start its postseason.
Team Scoring
Ottumwa…..8 15 11 11 — 45
ACHS………9 9 17 19 — 54
Individual Scoring
Ottumwa: Dalton Bowers 10, Wyatt Crosby 9, Jalen Strunk 6, Matthew Moreland 6, Gage Ryder 5, Sam Moreland 4, Trey Thomas 3.
ACHS: Connor Cullen 16, Chase Edwards 13, Connor Kasperbauer 12, Nick Oelmann 6, Ryan Reisch 2, Brody Van De Pol 2, Ben Friedman 2, Dallas Smith 1.
Ottumwa Player Evaluations
2017 Dalton Bowers, 5’8 PG
The tiny point guard is razor slim, but he plays smart, and can shoot the ball well. He’s skilled, as evidenced by his buzzer-beating off-balance shot, up-and-over the backboard to end the third quarter. One of the more extravagant shots I’ve seen this season. He’s tough, which negates some of his lack of size — and he’ll be a formidable point guard in the CIML next season.
2016 Gage Ryder, 6’5 PF
He’s a big boy, by far the biggest player on the Ottumwa roster. At 6-foot-5 and somewhat thick he’s able to carve out space that few can at this level, and he showed the ability to score in a variety of ways; including from beyond the arc, up-and-under at the hoop, and short jumper. He may be worth a look from NAIA and Division III programs.
Ankeny Centennial Player Evlauations
2017 Connor Kasperbauer, 6’4 SG
He’s renowned for his shooting prowess, but tonight he showed so much more. What’s most striking about our 31st-ranked 2017 is his length, which he uses regularly to his advantage, especially defensively to snare rebounds and hound his man. His shot wasn’t falling early, but he showed his buttery stroke during a third quarter Jaguar burst when he splashed consecutive triples.
2018 Chance Gibbons, 6’4 F
He recently debuted in our latest 2018 rankings, and though he’s just a role player with this talented group of veterans, the future is very bright for the good-sized forward. He wasn’t asked to do much tonight, mostly rebound and help the offense flow, but his good size and plus athleticism are foundations of what could make him a headache for opponenets in CIML over the next two seasons.