Photo courtesy of Iowa Central: The Iowa Central men's basketball program honored their sophomores inside Hodges Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.

The Iowa Central men showed their mental toughness late here Wednesday night.

Clinging to a slim lead over Western Iowa Tech, the Tritons knocked down several clutch free throws in the final minutes to secure an 80-77 Sophomore Night victory inside Hodges Fieldhouse.

The win snapped a seven-game losing skid for Iowa Central (6-23 overall, 3-15 in ICCAC) as they honored sophomores Deuce Blake, Mekhi Wilson, Jordan Fenderson and Miles Fant.

“We’ve been right there in games this year,” ICCC head coach Chad Helle said. “We’ve had halftime leads, leads late and not just been able to close the door. (Wednesday night) our kids stepped up and delivered.

“I’m so proud of them for continuing to fight and battle to get this win.”

Fant scored a game-high 26 points, adding 11 rebounds, with Blake scoring 22 on a perfect 8-for-8 night from the line. As a team, Iowa Central was 25 of 30 from the charity stripe and held a plus-six advantage on the glass.

Earlier in the year, the Tritons dropped a 77-62 decision in Sioux City to Western Iowa Tech, a program created just last year. The Comets (8-19, 4-14) were coming off victories over North Iowa Area and Northeast.

For Western Iowa Tech, Ahmad Ingram scored 22 and Latrel Davis had 17 with 11 rebounds.

Daviyon Gaston made it a four-point Iowa Central lead with bucket, as Ingram answered. From there, Jameson Fisher went 3-for-4 at the line with Blake and Gaston knocking down all four of their attempts to seal the deal.

“Excellent attitudes and composure from those guys,” Helle said. “They stepped up in pressure situations and delivered.”

The Tritons will head to Creston to play North Iowa Area in the opening round of the Region XI Tournament on Friday night. Tip is set for 7 p.m. with the winner advancing to meet Des Moines Area Saturday.

IOWA CENTRAL 80, WESTERN IOWA TECH 77

Iowa Central — Deuce Blake 6-15 8-8 22, Riley Edwards 1-5 0-0 2, Miles Fant 11-17 4-6 26, Daviyon Gaston 2-6 4-4 8, Terrius Walker 1-3 2-2 4, Jameson Fisher 0-2 3-4 3, Chase Low 2-5 1-2 6, Jordan Fenderson 0-4 2-2 2, ID Coleman 3-4 1-2 7. Totals: 26-61 25-30 80.

Western Iowa Tech — Jailyn Spears 4-8 1-2 10, Ahmad Ingram 10-15 1-2 22, Bie Ruei 2-6 0-0 4, Juvares Safford 1-3 1-1 3, Latrel Davis 5-14 5-5 17, Simarion Anderson 2-4 0-1 4, Ashton Pennamon 6-12 1-2 14, Nhial Manuel 1-1 0-0 2, Silas Coleman 0-0 0-0 0, Joshua Scott 0-0 1-2 1, Zeb Svoboda 0-3 0-0 0. Totals: 31-66 10-15 77.

Halftime score: Western Iowa Tech led 37-36. Three-point goals: Iowa Central 3-17 (Blake 2-7, Edwards 0-2, Gaston 0-3, Fisher 0-1, Low 1-1, Fenderson 0-3), Western Iowa Tech 5-25. Total rebounds: Iowa Central 39, Western Iowa Tech 33. Assists: Iowa Central 14, Western Iowa Tech 9. Steals: Iowa Central 6, Western Iowa Tech 12. Blocked shots: Iowa Central 1, Western Iowa Tech 4. Turnovers: Iowa Central 16, Western Iowa Tech 16. Personal fouls: Iowa Central 15, Western Iowa Tech 22. Fouled out: Ruei.