Valley Boys Face Undefeated Ankeny, Waukee This Week

Since a stunning 10-point loss to Dowling Catholic a month ago, the West Des Moines Valley boys' basketball has won five consecutive games by an average of 23 points.

None of those opponents are found in the AP's top 10 state rankings. 

Tonight, the Valley Tigers will play at Ankeny. The Hawks are 7-0 and the second-ranked team in the state. Ankeny's seven wins have come by an average of 28 points. Valley head coach Jeff Horner says his team will need to play tough if they want to hang with the Hawks.

"It's a group of guys that has played together for a long time," Horner said of the Ankeny squad. "The thing I like best about them is they're tough. They dive on the floor for loose balls, they try to take charges, they'll pick you up full-court, they play their way and they don't care about anything else.

"We need to come in and try to be as tough as them; that's going to be the biggest thing," Horner said.

Undefeated Waukee Up Next

After tonight's clash, the boys will travel to Waukee to face a Warrior squad that is ranked sixth in the state, and hasn't lost since opening night back in November.

Last season, Waukee and Valley played three times. The third time was a substate final that Waukee won, keeping Valley out of the state tournament. Horner says those games added fuel to the fire for the pre-existing rivalry between the two.

"I would definitely say Waukee is our biggest rival," Horner said. "We had three really tough games with them last season where the stands were packed and it was a great high school atmosphere. Obviously, we're not very far from each other, so a lot of our players know their players, and a lot of the students know each other."

Waukee head coach Justin Ohl is in his first year with the Warriors. He's heard about the rivalry, and knows what to expect.

"I'm looking forward to Friday night," said Ohl. "It'll be my first Waukee-Valley game. I think both teams will play really hard. Jeff [Horner] does a really good job with them, I'm looking forward to it."

Although the week ahead will be about as tough as it can get in the regular season, a silver lining for the Tigers is that Division 1 recruit Peter Jok will be returning to the court.

The 6-foot, 6-inch junior played in the first three games after having off-season surgery, but soreness in his knee kept him out for the next five games. Horner says Jok will be ready to go tonight.

"I think he'll be ready to go, he's chomping at the bit to play, and I understand that," Horner said. "But the biggest thing for him is you don't want to ruin his future, and I think he has a bright future, but hopefully he'll be ready to go and we can move forward from there."

The Tigers will tip off in Ankeny at 7:25 tonight, and in Waukee at 7:45 on Friday.