-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Jordan Cain of Iowa Central goes up for a dunk against Iowa Western on Saturday

The seventh-ranked Iowa Central men used a balanced effort to secure a 90-78 victory over No. 12 Iowa Western here Saturday inside Hodges Fieldhouse.

After capping off the first part of the season strong with a pair of wins that saw them score over 90 points, the Tritons (14-1 overall, 6-1 in ICCAC) hit that number for the first time in 2026 and 11th time this year.

Jordan Cain scored 33 points, as Aleix Sempere had another double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Manny Lueth dropped 18 points and Jalen Wynter 10, helping Iowa Central erase an early five-point deficit at the half.

Over the final 20 minutes, the Tritons scored 59 points, as Cain had 20 and Lueth 16. Iowa Central was 21 of 34 from the field and 13-for-16 at the free throw line during that time.

Zayden Best led the Reivers with 25 points and Nate Parras added 18.

“It was an all hands on deck type of game,” ICCC head coach Mason Denholm said. “As we went into halftime, we didn’t make adjustments per se, we stuck to our game plan defensively. I just challenged our group to go up another gear and they rose up and met that challenge – if not exceeded it.

“Jordan, Manny and Aleix were big time players for us in the second half. Jalen stepped up and ran our offense, and Dorian (Pruitt) continued to defend at a high level even though his shot wasn’t falling.”

Iowa Central turned 10 turnovers by Iowa Western into 15 points and held a 38-34 advantage on points in the paint and were plus-7 on second chance points. The game featured three ties and seven lead changes, with both leading by a smany as 12.

“Jaxson Cathcart gave us some big minutes off the bench and defended with urgency,” Denholm said. “Both Carter Loney and Jon Roberts gave us good minutes at the forward spot.

“Each guy contributed to the win in their own way and I am really proud of their effort and determination to find a way to win.”

The Tritons head to No. 4 Ellsworth on Wednesday night.

IOWA CENTRAL 90, IOWA WESTERN 78

Iowa Central – Manny Lueth 7-12 4-5 18, Dorian Pruitt 1-8 2-2 5, Jalen Wynter 4-10 0-0 10, Aleix Sempere 3-8 9-15 16, Jordan Cain 12-18 7-11 33, Tashun Pender 1-1 0-0 2, Jaxson Cathcart 1-1 0-0 2, Jon Roberts 2-2 0-0 4, Carter Loney 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 31-60 22-33 90.

Iowa Western – JP Sumo 5-8 1-2 12, Zayden Best 8-16 6-7 25, Judah Vignery 3-5 0-0 7, Nate Parras 7-9 4-7 18, Jang Ruei 0-3 0-0 0, Kris Brown 1-5 0-0 2, Jordan Dewaele 2-4 1-4 5, Zy’Terre Stewart 4-5 0-0 9, Madelo Deng 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 30-55 12-20 78.

Halftime score: Iowa Western led 36-31. Three-point goals: Iowa Central 6-27 (Lueth 0-4, Pruitt 1-7, Wynter 2-6, Sempere 1-4, Cain 2-6), Iowa Western 6-18 (Sumo 1-3, Best 3-8, Vignery 1-3, Brown 0-2, Dewaele 0-1, Stewart 1-1). Total rebounds: Iowa Central 32, Iowa Western 28. Assists: Iowa Central 8, Iowa Western 9. Turnovers: Iowa Central 8, Iowa Western 10. Steals: Iowa Central 8, Iowa Western 3. Team fouls: Iowa Central 20, Iowa Western 24. Fouled out: Sempere, Pender.