Chad Helle put his Iowa Central men’s team on display for the first time here Tuesday night inside Hodges Fieldhouse.

The Tritons raced out to a commanding first half lead in earning a convincing 91-64 victory over the Mount Mercy JV.

Darius Henderson scored 24 points in his Iowa Central debut, while Kevin Taylor added 21 and Jamari Magee chipped in nine off the bench.

Taylor, one of four returning sophomores, returned to live action just seven days ago after suffering an offseason injury. He was 7 of 8 from the field, hit 3 of 4 three-pointers, was 4-for-4 from the free throw line with six rebounds and three blocked shots.

“It’s pretty remarkable to see what Kevin did with just a week of live practice,” Helle said. “He’s definitely gotten bigger and stronger over the summer, and really showed that.

“It was a good first game. We’ve still got plenty to improve on, but I like this group and feel like we have great team chemistry.”

As a team, the Tritons shot 50 percent from the floor, made a dozen 3-pointers and out-rebounded Mount Mercy JV, 41-31. Henderson and Magee each hit three triples, with Donovan Pointer adding nine points, seven boards and three steals.

“We’ve got some athleticism,” Helle said. “Right now, it’s about getting them to understand that at this level, you can’t just rely on your athletic ability. You have to do things a little bit better, be a little bit smarter, more patient and handle the problems because they will come.”

Kyler Matthias, Cole Tunender and Isaac Besh are the other returning sophomores alongside Taylor. Besh had nine points on the night with four rebounds, while Tunender and Matthias combined for four points, four rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot.

Iowa Central returns to action on Saturday when they travel to Minnesota to face Rochester Tech. The next home game will be Sunday, Nov. 13 vs. the Grand View JV at 1 p.m.

IOWA CENTRAL 91, MOUNT MERCY JV 64

Iowa Central — Kyler Matthias 1-3 0-0 2, Kevin Taylor 7-8 4-4 21, Darius Henderson 9-15 3-4 24, Donovan Pointer 4-10 1-2 9, Chase Johnson 2-5 0-0 4, Isaac Besh 3-6 1-2 9, Jamari Magee 4-6 0-0 11, Tyrhell Branch 1-2 1-2 3, Cole Tunender 1-1 0-0 2, Mekhi Wilson 2-5 1-2 6, Mile Fant 0-5 0-0 0, Rodrell Dryden 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 34-68 11-16 91.

Mount Mercy JV — AJ Wegener 3-12 0-2 7, Landen Sullivan 2-5 5-5 9, Calon Amey 7-11 2-4 21, Caden Schroeder 2-9 0-0 6, Jackson Tegeler 2-3 1-1 5, James Aschenbrener 1-3 0-0 3, Will Raife 3-8 0-1 8, Tomas Rodrigues 0-1 0-0 0, Chevelle Ruchti 2-4 1-2 5. Totals: 22-56 9-15 64.

Halftime score: Iowa Central led 51-38. Three-point goals: Iowa Central 12-31 (Taylor 3, Henderson 3, Besh 2, Magee 3, Wilson 1), Mount Mercy JV 11. Total rebounds: Iowa Central 41, Mount Mercy JV 31. Assists: Iowa Central 16, Mount Mercy JV 13. Steals: Iowa Central 12, Mount Mercy JV 4. Blocked shots: Iowa Central 5, Mount Mercy JV 1. Turnovers: Iowa Central 11, Mount Mercy JV 22. Personal fouls: Iowa Central 15, Mount Mercy JV 14.