-Messenger photo by Britt KudlaBeth Murman of Fort Dodge drives towards the basket against Ankeny Centennial on Tuesday

For most of the first half on Tuesday, the Fort Dodge girls were simply the better team in their matchup with seventh-ranked (Class 5A) Ankeny Centennial.

A huge run to close the second quarter and open the third allowed the Jaguars to pull away, though, as the visitors posted a 62-41 victory over the Dodgers.

Head coach Julius Michalik’s squad led 19-16 with only three minutes left before intermission. Centennial (17-3) scored the final nine points of the half to get back on track, then opened the third period with a 24-2 burst to seal what ended up being a lopsided triumph.

”We played hard, but I think we started to run out of gas after (a three-game stretch last week) and given the fact that (the Jaguars) are one of the best defensive teams in the state,” Michalik said. ”We got off to a good start, which was an encouraging sign given what’s happened recently, but they’re famous for their man-to-man defense and after a while, that seemed to take a toll on us.”

The Dodgers (4-16) were up 12-7 after a Taelor Lessmeier basket with 2:49 left in the first quarter, and although Centennial pulled ahead on a field goal to end the frame, Fort Dodge had positioned itself well until the very end of the half. From the 3:39 mark in the second period until the last possession of the third, however, the Dodgers managed just a single bucket.

Senior Beth Murman scored 12 points for FDSH, while leading scorer Shareece Smith added nine before spraining her ankle midway through the final quarter. Smith did not return.

True to form, Centennial was balanced offensively. Rachel Schon led the way with 14 points, while Becca Anselme came off the bench to score 12 points without missing a shot. Meg Burns also reached double figures with 10.

The Jaguars don’t have a single player averaging more than 12 points per contest.

”They come at you in a lot of different ways,” Michalik said. ”We ask our starters for so much, and a team like this will wear you down physically and mentally. To beat a team of this caliber, you have to at least be (in the neighborhood) of 60 points. That (dry spell) midway through the game kept us from staying competitive (score-wise).”

The Dodgers did hold an 18-13 fourth-quarter edge.

Fort Dodge returns to action on Friday at home against No. 6 Johnston (17-3).

ANKENY CENTENNIAL 62,

FORT DODGE 41

Centennial — Rachel Schon 5-12 4-6 14, Meg Burns 3-7 1-2 10, Chloe Olson 3-5 2-2 8, Keanna Williams 2-5 2-2 7, Sydney Wycoff 1-4 2-2 5, Becca Anselme 6-6 0-0 12, Taylor Runchey 2-4 0-0 4, Kenna Sauer 1-1 0-0 2, Lizzy Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Hailey Bullock 0-0 0-0 0, Bella Robben 0-0 0-0 0, Karina Fritz 0-0 0-0 0, Karri Pippett 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 23-44 11-14 62.

Fort Dodge — Beth Murman 4-7 2-2 12, Shareece Smith 4-11 0-0 9, Liza Van Zyl 4-8 0-0 8, Taelor Lessmeier 3-13 1-2 7, Raeya Love 0-3 1-2 1, Makla Naylor 1-1 0-0 3, Ebonee Altman 0-0 1-2 1, Olivia Camamo 0-2 0-5 0, Morgan Beisch 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 16-45 5-13 41.

Quarter scores: Centennial led 14-12, 25-19, 49-23. Three-point goals: Centennial 5-17 (Burns 3-7, Williams 1-3, Wycoff 1-3, Schon 0-3, Runchey 0-1); Fort Dodge 4-11 (Murman 2-3, Naylor 1-1, Smith 1-2, Love 0-1, Lessmeier 0-2). Turnovers: Centennial 17, Fort Dodge 16. Total fouls: Centennial 16, Fort Dodge 13. Fouled out: Wycoff.