Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: CJ Mitchell of Iowa Central celebrates after the Tritons beat Ellsworth for the Region 11-B championship on Tuesday inside Hodges Fieldhouse.

The 11th-ranked Iowa Central men have relied on their offense all season.

But on Wednesday night with the season on the line, it was the defense that made all the big plays.

Iowa Central erased a 15-point deficit and claimed the Region 11-B Tournament title inside a jam-packed Hodges Fieldhouse over No. 9 Ellsworth, 87-86.

With the win, the Tritons (25-6 overall) advance to the North Central-B District championship against Dakota County (14-16) in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. on Saturday. The winner advances to the NJCAA Div. II national tournament — a field Iowa Central hasn’t reached since 2012.

No. 2 DMACC earned the automatic bid to nationals by winning the Region 11-A title over Iowa Western, 89-73.

Jordan Cain had the game-winning points with 39 seconds left, as both Dorian Pruitt and Tashun Pender came up with back-to-back blocks on the ensuing possession for the Panthers (25-7).

After two missed free throws by the Tritons, the defense again stepped up, forcing a turnover.

Cain had a team-high 20 points, as Aleix Sempere added 18, CJ Mitchell finished with 17 and Pruitt 11. Sempere also collected eight rebounds, as Pender recorded nine points with seven boards.

“We just held course,” ICCC head coach Mason Denholm said. “We were just solid and everyone did their job and didn’t try to do too much.

“When that buzzer went off, it was a great feeling. This group has been working for this since June. We still have some work to do, but really proud of our guys.”

Cain was named MVP of the regional tourney, as Mitchell and Pender joined him on the all-tournament squad.

For Ellsworth, Jayden Pretty had 21 off the bench while Tanner Berggren scored 18. Jonovan Wilkinson had 17 points, and Eesher Singh Sarai finished with 16 points to go along with 12 rebounds.

The Panthers controlled the first half, leading by 10 early before taking a 39-25 advantage. Iowa Central responded, cutting the deficit down to five on the heels of a 9-0 run.

Ellsworth shot 48 percent from the field and made nine 3-pointers in the first half, as Pretty scored 15. Over the final 20 minutes, though, the Tritons outscored them, 50-44, as Cain and Mitchell combined for 27.

The game featured six ties and 14 lead changes, as Iowa Central held a plus-22 advantage on points in the paint, were plus-nine on points off turnovers and plus-seven edge on second chance points.

Iowa Central was able to overcome a 4-for-18 shooting night from the 3-point line and 10 missed free throws thanks to committing just three turnovers.

Dakota County won the Region 13 Tournament to advance.

IOWA CENTRAL 87, ELLSWORTH 86

Iowa Central — Tashun Pender 4-6 1-1 9, CJ Mitchell 7-14 3-3 17, Jalen Wynter 3-7 1-2 7, Aleix Sempere 8-11 2-3 18, Jordan Cain 8-15 4-9 20, Manny Lueth 1-4 0-0 3, Dorian Pruitt 4-8 0-4 11, Jon Roberts 1-3 0-0 2, Carter Loney 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 36-68 11-22 87.

Ellsworth — Christian Johnson 0-2 0-0 0, Eesher Singh Sarai 5-14 6-8 16, William Taylor 3-5 0-0 8, Jonovan Wilkinson 8-13 0-0 17, Tanner Berggren 7-11 0-0 18, Chase Low 0-1 0-0 0, Jayden Pretty 7-15 2-2 21, Dan Pembele 0-0 0-0 0, Jacob Khounsourath 0-1 0-0 0, Collins Ngondu 2-3 0-0 6. Totals: 32-65 8-10 86.

Halftime score: Ellsworth 42-37. Three-point goals: Iowa Central 4-18 (Mitchell 0-1, Wynter 0-3, Cain 0-5, Lueth 1-2, Pruitt 3-7), Ellsworth 14-27 (Johnson 0-2, Sarai 0-4, Taylor 2-3, Wilkinson 1-3, Berggren 4-5, Pretty 5-8, Ngondu 2-2). Total rebounds: Iowa Central 34, Ellsworth 39. Assists: Iowa Central 4, Ellsworth 13. Steals: Iowa Central 7, Ellsworth 2. Blocked shots: Iowa Central 3, Ellsworth 0. Turnovers: Iowa Central 3, Ellsworth 12. Team fouls: Iowa Central 13, Ellsworth 19.