-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Aleix Sempere of Iowa Central shoots around Ellsworth on Wednesday inside Hodges fieldhouse

It is never easy to gain a win over a team ranked in the Top-5 of the country.

But to complete a season sweep over that same team is even more rare.

Behind a 19-point effort from CJ Mitchell here Wednesday night, the 10th-ranked Iowa Central men did just that, besting No. 4 Ellsworth for a second time this year, 83-74.

The Tritons (18-4 overall, 10-3 in ICCAC) downed the Panthers (19-3, 10-3) back on Jan. 7 in Iowa Falls, 91-83. They have now scored five victories over teams ranked in the latest NJCAA Top-25.

Jordan Cain added 17 points, Aleix Sempere scored 14 and Tashun Pender finished with 10.

For Ellsworth, Eesher Singh Sarai had a game-high 20, with Collins Ngondo adding 13 off the bench.

“Our resilience to me is the biggest thing that stood out,” ICCC head coach Mason Denholm said. “Our group just continues to stay the course and find ways to get it done.

“We had a poor shooting first half and responded by shooting 66 percent from the field in the second. This group continues to grow and fight, and I like where they can get to.”

It was a game of runs, as Iowa Central led by as many as 10 early before a closing first half run of 15-2 by Ellsworth gave them a five-point halftime advantage. The Tritons came out strong after the break, slowly building on their lead.

Sempere grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots, Pender had six rebounds, and both Cain and Carter Loney each recorded five rebounds. Mitchell added seven assists, three steals, three rebounds and a blocked shot.

Along with two wins over Ellsworth, Iowa Central has swept No. 15 Iowa Western and scored a win over seventh-ranked Milwaukee Area. Three of the four losses have been to rated teams.

The Tritons will have the chance to avenge one of those losses when they head to Boone for a rematch with second-ranked Des Moines Area this Saturday. The Bears scored an 85-83 victory in the first meeting.

IOWA CENTRAL 83,

ELLSWORTH 74

Iowa Central — Carter Loney 0-1 0-0 0, Manny Lueth 3-9 0-0 7, CJ Mitchell 8-14 1-3 19, Jalen Wynter 3-6 0-0 9, Jordan Cain 6-13 4-5 17, Tashun Pender 4-6 2-4 10, Dorian Pruitt 2-4 2-2 7, Aleix Sempere 6-11 2-3 14. Totals: 32-64 11-17 83.

Ellsworth — Rav Randhawa 1-5 0-0 3, Jonovan Wilkinson 2-6 0-0 5, Eesher Singh Sarai 8-14 2-2 20, William Taylor 3-5 0-0 6, Tanner Berggren 3-8 0-0 8, Christian Johnson 1-3 0-0 3, Chase Low 2-4 1-1 5, Jayden Pretty 3-7 1-2 9, Dan Pembele 0-0 0-0 0, jacob Khounsourath 1-4 0-0 2, Collins Ngondu 6-9 0-0 13. Totals: 30-65 4-6 74.

Halftime score: Ellsworth led 33-28. Three-point goals: Iowa Central 8-22 (Lueth 1-5, Mitchell 2-5, Wynter 3-6, Cain 1-2, Pruitt 1-3, Sempere 0-1), Ellsworth 10-24 (Randhawa 1-3, Wilkinson 1-3, Sarai 2-3, Berggren 2-4, Johnson 1-2, Pretty 2-3, Khounsourath 0-3, Ngondu 1-3). Total rebounds: Iowa Central 31, Ellsworth 33. Assists: Iowa Central 14, Ellsworth 13. Steals: Iowa Central 11, Ellsworth 6. Blocked shots: Iowa Central 5, Ellsworth 4. Turnovers: Iowa Central 9, Ellsworth 14. Team fouls: Iowa Central 11, Ellsworth 12.