Carson Johnson leads Ankeny basketball past Dubuque Senior in Iowa state tournament

Carson Johnson let off a 3-point shot and took a few backward steps downcourt as the ball dropped through the net.

It was his third score from beyond the arc in Wednesday’s Iowa state quarterfinal matchup between Ankeny and Dubuque Senior, and Johnson managed to find some fun under the lights of Wells Fargo Arena.

He stuck out three fingers, turned toward the Ankeny student section and mouthed “Come on,” before allowing a smile to turn up the corner of his mouth for a split second.

“It’s basketball, it’s always just fun,” Johnson said postgame. “Having everyone from school here, looking at the student section and seeing all those faces, it’s just a great feeling playing in front of them.”

Another great feeling: Winning.

Ankeny did just that, beating Dubuque Senior, 60-47. The Hawks (18-6) advanced to Thursday’s Class 4A semifinal against undefeated, No. 1 seed Cedar Rapids Kennedy (24-0).

Johnson – who finished with 26 points – helped Ankeny jump out to an early lead, scoring eight points in the first quarter. Dubuque Senior limited his quarter-by-quarter production, but the Rams could do little to completely shut him down.

Even with a prolific scorer like Johnson, the Hawks needed to lean on defense to get past Dubuque Senior.

Ankeny held the Rams without a 3-pointer (0-for-8) until 6:28 remaining in the third quarter. The Hawks forced Dubuque Senior to get creative with its offense, holding Tevin Schultz to eight points, below his season average.

“Any screening actions and things like that, our guys did a good job of not getting hung up,” Ankeny coach Brandt Carlson said. “Just a team effort overall…just really proud of the effort.”

While the Hawks took care of business on defense, a couple unexpected players stepped up. Luke Anderson went 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and picked up nine points off the bench. Cade Pederson scored eight points and had eight rebounds.

Cash Schoolen scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds in the win – both marks above his season averages.

“He’s played really urgently since late January,” Carlson said. “That’s a true test of a senior that doesn’t want the season to send. I’m really proud of the way he’s gone about his business.”

Ankeny won’t celebrate its win for long.

The Hawks know Cedar Rapids Kennedy will be a tough matchup, and they won’t waste time on a quarterfinal win when a spot in the state final is on the line.

“We’ve been really focused on what’s right in front of us,” Carlson said. “Possession by possession, things like that. Obviously, they’ve played a ton of good teams this year. It’s gonna be a great challenge, and just honored to take the court with them.”

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Carson Johnson leads Ankeny basketball past Dubuque Senior at state