Photo by Iowa Central Athletics: The Iowa Central men celebrate their NJCAA quarterfinal victory on Thursday in Danville, Ill. The Tritons are in the national semifinals for the first time ever.

DANVILLE, Ill. — March madness lives on for the Iowa Central men, as they secured a spot in the NJCAA Div. II Final Four for the first time ever with a thrilling 78-77 victory over Pima here Thursday evening.

Down by as many as eight points late in the second half, the Tritons (28-6 overall) rallied and punched their ticket to a fourth meeting with ICCAC rival Ellsworth — this time on the biggest stage of all. Tashun Pender went up and through contact to score the game-winner with 21 seconds remaining off a perfect pass from Triton teammate CJ Mitchell.

Tip is set for 6 p.m. on Friday between Iowa Central and the Panthers, with a spot in the national finals on the line.

“It feels great,” ICCC first-year head coach Mason Denholm said. “This group has been together since June working toward this goal. I’m just so proud of the second half effort and the toughness they showed — especially in the last two minutes when they dug deep.”

Sophomore standout Jordan Cain, who scored a team-high 25 points for the Tritons, stole the ball as the Aztecs were attempting the go-ahead basket.

Jalen Wynter added 18 points on six made 3-pointers, Pender finished with 15 and 11 rebounds, and Aleix Sempere had nine points with 11 rebounds and two steals. Cain also tallied five rebounds and three steals, as he played 37 of the 40 minutes like Wynter.

“We have the best player in the tournament with Jordan Cain,” Denholm said. “He did what he’s done all year for us.

“We had so many guys step up and play key roles, though.”

Manny Lueth came off the bench to add nine points and four rebounds for Iowa Central, which knocked off Ellsworth for the regional title at home after also sweeping the two regular season meetings.

The fifth-seeded Panthers advanced to the semifinals with an upset win over top-seed and reigning ICCAC regular season champion Des Moines Area on Wednesday night.

“It’s going to be an absolute battle with Ellsworth,” Denholm said. “We’ve got less than 24 hours to get ready for it.”

For Pima, which reached the semifinals last year before finishing third, Isaiah Hill matched Cain with 25 points. Mason Hunt added 21. Brock Mendoza scored 15 and Isaac Johnson 10, but the Aztecs (33-1) were held almost 30 points below their season average.

The Tritons leaned on Cain to erase an early first-half deficit, scoring nine straight to go up by a score of 16-11 thanks to seven points from Cain. The reigning regional player of the year had 19 points in the opening 20 minutes alone, including 12 of 16 during a key stretch that kept Iowa Central in it.

Pima closed the half strong, taking an eight-point lead into the break. Hill had 15 and Hunt 12 to lead the Aztecs.

The game featured 13 ties and 13 lead changes.

Iowa Central finished plus-nine on the glass, including a 21-11 edge in offensive rebounds. Pender had eight of those offensive boards, with Sempere grabbing five.

IOWA CENTRAL 78, PIMA 77

Iowa Central — Tashun Pender 6-12 3-7 15, CJ Mitchell 1-5 0-0 2, Jalen Wynter 6-16 0-0 18, Aleix Sempere 4-7 1-2 9, Jordan Cain 8-20 6-7 25, Manny Lueth 3-7 2-2 9, Dorian Pruitt 0-4 0-0 0, Carter Loney 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 28-72 12-18 78.

Pima — Isaiah Hill 9-14 2-2 25, Rowan McKenzie 0-5 0-0 0, Isaac Johnson 4-9 2-6 10, Brock Mendoza 6-9 2-2 15, Mason Hunt 5-18 10-10 21, Taevean Famutimi-Brown 1-1 0-0 2, Gerron Graham 1-1 0-0 2, Will Feagles 0-5 0-0 0, Ky Green 0-0 2-2 2. Totals: 26-62 18-22 77.

Halftime score: Pima led 43-35. Three-point goals: Iowa Central10-31 (Wynter 6-15, Cain 3-7, Lueth 1-4, Pruitt 0-4), Pima 7-25 (Hill 5-7, McKenzie 0-4, Johnson 0-1, Mendoza 1-1, Hunt 1-7, Feagles 0-5). Total rebounds: Iowa Central 46, Pima 37. Assists: Iowa Central 13, Pima 11. Steals: Iowa Central 6, Pima 11. Blocked shots: Iowa Central 3, Pima 7. Turnovers: Iowa Central 13, Pima 14. Team fouls: Iowa Central 19, Pima 17.