Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Kemryn Jenkins goes to the basket for Iowa Central against Marshalltown on Tuesday inside Hodges Fieldhouse. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

Dennis Pilcher loves to reward those who work hard in practice and listen with game minutes.

Tuesday night, Pilcher did just that with sophomore Aspen LaPointe, and the decision paid off.

LaPointe scored nine key points, including a big 3-pointer, as the Tritons scored a 96-92 victory over Marshalltown inside Hodges Fieldhouse.

Since the 2012-13 season, Iowa Central (2-0 overall) had lost nine in a row to the Tigers (2-1), a Div. I junior college program. That included a pair of defeats last year by a combined 21 points.

Dallas Bailey had a game-high 28 points, adding nine rebounds and three assists, with Kemryn Jenkins scoring 22 and Royshawn Webb 16 with six boards.

“Aspen, I give him all the credit,” said Pilcher, who is in his 40th season with the school. “I’m just glad I was smart enough to give him the opportunity to play.

“There isn’t a kid that works any harder than he does, he listens and does what I ask of him.”

LaPointe entered in the second half and knocked down a pair of triples. His three-pointer with just over seven minutes left gave the Tritons a 76-67 advantage.

Pilcher played with his rotation, but found success with LaPointe, Webb, Jenkins and freshman Jesse Moss and Austin Jarvis on the floor.

“Jesse came off the bench and gave us some good minutes, as did Jarvis,” Pilcher said. “Those guys who were out there when we made our run, they gave us a lot of energy, played hard and were able to overcome the silly mistakes with high-energy plays.

“We’ve got a lot of guys that have more questions than answers at this point, and those are the ones who are playing well.”

For Marshalltown, Bassirou Ndiaye had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Goran Vidovic scored 25 and Nicholas Fleming added 20.

The Tigers jumped out to a double-digit lead early on, but Iowa Central rallied thanks in large part to its bench, which outscored Marshalltown’s, 27-5. The Tritons also held a plus-four advantage in points in the paint.

Jacorian Dalton grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots, with Jarvis adding six points, three rebounds and two assists off the bench.

Iowa Central returns to action this Friday and Saturday when they face Northeast and Central-Columbus in Norfolk, Neb. at the Hawks Classic.

IOWA CENTRAL 96, MARSHALLTOWN 92

Iowa Central — Jacorian Dalton 0-1 0-0 0, Collin Shannon 0-4 3-3 3, Royshawn Webb 8-14 0-1 16, Dallas Bailey 11-17 4-5 28, Kemryn Jenkins 6-10 7-11 22, Kane Kramer 0-0 0-0 0, Bay Etheredge 0-0 0-0 0, Aspen LaPointe 3-3 1-2 9, Jaden Kephart 0-1 0-0 0, Jesse Moss 4-9 2-4 12, Austin Jarvis 2-4 2-3 6. Totals: 34-63 19-30 96.

Marshalltown — Juan Coffi 5-8 3-7 13, Goran Vidovic 7-14 6-8 25, Nicholas Fleming 6-11 6-6 20, Bassirou Ndiaye 3-8 5-7 11, Kelton Edwards 8-22 1-3 18, JJ Foster 1-4 0-0 2, Myles Broadie 0-0 0-0 0, Plami Thorsson 1-2 0-0 3, Eduardo Lane 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 31-70 21-31 92.

Halftime score: Marshalltown led 40-36. Three-point goals: Iowa Central 9-22 (Shannon 0-3, Bailey 2-6, Jenkins 3-6, La Pointe 2-2, Moss 2-5); Marshalltown 9-29 (Coffi 0-2, Vidovic 5-11, Fleming 2-6, Edwards 1-6, Foster 0-2, Thorsson 1-2). Total rebounds: Iowa Central 37, Marshalltown 41. Steals: Iowa Central 5, Marshalltown 2. Assists: Iowa Central 15, Marshalltown 15. Blocked shots: Iowa Central 3, Marshalltown 1. Team fouls: Iowa Central 22, Marshalltown 25. Fouled out: Webb, Vidovic.