Basketball Game Preview: Ankeny Hawks vs. Valley Tigers

The Ankeny Hawks will take on the Valley Tigers at 6:15 p.m. on Friday. Ankeny has now lost seven straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since December 3.

Last Tuesday, Ankeny came up short against Ankeny Centennial and fell 45-37. While losing is never fun, the Hawks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Iowa basketball rankings (they are ranked 60th, while the Jaguars are ranked tenth).

Meanwhile, Valley was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Tuesday as they fell 64-58 to Southeast Polk.

Valley's loss dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Ankeny, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-7.

Ankeny was able to grind out a solid win over Valley in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, winning 53-43. Will Ankeny repeat their success, or does Valley have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.