No. 2 Ankeny pulls away from Bulldogs

ANKENY — Whether it’s four quarters or two halves, the overall production of the Ankeny girls basketball team didn’t seem to change on Tuesday night in its season opener.

The Hawks and head coach Scott DeJong are good no matter what format is implemented.

An 11-0 deficit didn’t deter the Ottumwa Bulldogs in their quest to knock off the second-ranked team on the state — on the road, no less.

The Bulldogs and head coach Stan Rupe fought back but it wasn’t enough as Ottumwa fell 66-37 to the tradition-rich Hawks.

Ankeny was a state qualifier from a year ago and returned two starters from that squad. Ottumwa played to a 2-20 mark last winter.

After that early hole Ottumwa faced, the Bulldogs went on a 9-4 run to trail 15-9. Ankeny extended that deficit with a late first-half push to take a 35-18 halftime lead.

The squads played two 16-minute halves instead of the usual four, eight-minute periods. The option is an experimental rule available to all teams this season.

Rupe was happy about his team’s fight early on and even when the game was no longer in doubt.

“We hung right in there and played a good game,” said Rupe, in his 32nd season of coaching girls basketball. “It’s hard to say we played a good game and get beat by 29, but our kids battled.”

Rachel Hinebaugh, Rupe’s sophomore center, tied with Ankeny’s Rheanna Egli for the game’s top scorer. Each netted 13 points —  Hinebaugh scoring 10 points in the first half and ripping down 10 rebounds.

“She held her own in there,” said Rupe. “Nobody was pushing her around. That’s what I like to see from her.”

OHS sophomore point guard Ashley Salgado hit double-figures with 10 points. She dished out five assists and collected five steals.

In the end, Ankeny’s ball-hawking defense was too much to handle in the first game of the season for the Bulldogs.

“They just kept up with relentless pressure. We handled it a lot better than we have in the past. They’re the second ranked team in state and they’re obviously deserving of that,” said Rupe.

Ottumwa plays its home opener on Friday versus ninth-ranked Washington at Evans Middle School. That’s the beginning of a three-game homestand that ends with Mount Pleasant at home on Tuesday and Southeast Polk at Evans on the following Friday.

Ankeny 66, Ottumwa 37

OTT 18 19 — 37

ANK 35 31 — 66

OTTUMWA (37) — Rachel Hinebaugh 13, Ashley Salgado 10, Amy Albertson 4, Missy Staloch 2, Courtney Klyn 2, Jessi Black 2, Avery Roane 2, Kelsey Nickerson 1, Paige Schreiner 1. Totals 14 8-18 38.

3-point goals — 1 (Albertson). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — 23 (Hinebaugh 10, Staloch 6, Albertson 5). Assists — 12 (Salgado 5, Albertson 2, Klyn 2). Steals — 10 (Salgado 5, Staloch 2). Blocks — 3 (Hinebaugh 3). Total fouls — 11. Turnovers — 19.

ANKENY (66) — Rheanna Egli 13, Shayla Starkenburg 11, Krista Pettepier 9, Megan Fisher 8, Lisa Foley 7. Totals 29 7-11 66.

3-point goals — 1 (Egli). Fouled out — None. Total fouls — 19.