×

Tritons hold off Spartans

Kemryn Jenkins wasn’t prepared to sit on a 21-point halftime lead for his Iowa Central men Saturday.

Jenkins scored 15 of his 24 points in the second half as the Tritons held off a furious rally by Southwestern, winning 97-87 inside Hodges Fieldouse.

Royshawn Webb had a game-high 28 to lead Iowa Central (11-16 overall, 3-8 in ICCAC), with Dallas Bailey scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.

“We’ve had trouble finishing games in the conference this year,” Jenkins said. “We know we can compete as well as beat these teams, it’s just a matter of getting off to a good start on offense and keeping our intensity on defense throughout the game.”

The Tritons scored 51 points in the first half, shooting 56 percent from the field. Webb had 14, Bailey scored 10 and Jenkins had nine, with Jaden Kephart adding eight and Kane Kramer six.

Kephart and Kramer, who combined to sink five 3-pointers, each had nine for the game, with Austin Jarvis grabbing six rebounds off the bench.

“We got out after it there and really played a good first half,” ICCC head coach Dennis Pilcher said. “Royshawn played a great floor game and really took the ball to the basket. We had some shots not go in the second half that did in the first, and Southwestern went on a run — which we told the kids would happen.

“I was proud of the way they stepped up late there, especially Kemryn down the stretch, to get the win.”

Jenkins sank a trio of shots from behind the arc, as Iowa Central hit 10 triples in all.

This past Wednesday, the Tritons pushed Kirkwood to overtime, falling 104-90. They lost in Creston to the Spartans (3-24, 3-9), 104-97, who cut the deficit down to as little as six late in the second half.

“Going into the (Region XI) tournament, we want to be playing with momentum,” Jenkins said. “This was a good win to get to gain us some confidence.”

Gatdoar Kueth led Southwestern with 23 points before fouling out, while Ryan Warren added 15 and Jordan Doss 14. All 15 of Warren’s points came in the final 20 minutes.

The Tritons return to action on Wednesday night when they host Little Priest Tribal back here at 7:30 p.m.

IOWA CENTRAL 97,

SOUTHWESTERN 87

Iowa Central — Royshawn Webb 11-19 6-7 28, Dallas Bailey 5-8 4-5 15, Kemryn Jenkins 7-16 7-8 24, Jaden Kephart 3-5 0-0 9, Kane Kramer 3-5 0-0 9, Aspen La Pointe 2-3 3-3 8, Austin Jarvis 0-2 0-0 0, Jacorian Dalton 1-2 1-2 3. Totals: 33-62 21-25 97.

Southwestern — Ryan Warren 5-15 1-2 15, Willson Warren 3-8 0-0 8, Noah Persich 4-7 0-0 10, Chad Moran 5-12 2-3 12, Gatdoar Kueth 8-16 4-5 23, Trevonte Diggs 0-2 0-0 0, Jordan Doss 5-9 4-4 14, Marquas Gafeney 2-5 0-0 5. Totals: 32-74 11-14 87.

Halftime score: Iowa Central led 51-30. Three-point goals: Iowa Central 10-21 (Bailey 1-4, Jenkins 3-8, Kephart 2-3, Kramer 3-5, La Pointe 1-1), Southwestern 12-31 (R. Warren 4-9, W. Warren 2-5, Persich 2-3, Moran 0-1, Kueth 3-6, Diggs 0-1, Doss 0-2, Gafeney 1-4). Rebounds: Iowa Central 43, Southwestern 32. Assists: Iowa Central 12, Southwestern 10. Turnovers: Iowa Central 14, Southwestern 10. Fouls: Iowa Central 12, Southwestern 22. Fouled out: Kueth.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today