Tritons win season opener
Trending
The Iowa Central men's basketball team is nowhere near where it plans on being four months from now.
Friday's season opener against the Mount Mercy junior varsity squad inside Hodges Fieldhouse was a first step in the right direction, though.
London Burton scored 27 points as the Tritons defeated the Mustangs by a final of 102-72.
Second-year head coach Mason Denholm is replacing all five starters from last year's lineup. Iowa Central went 28-8 overall and finished fourth nationally in 2025-26.
"The first game is all about shaking off the rust and getting the jitters out of your system," Denholm said. "We have a lot of guys in new roles, with our returning guys taking on more and eight freshmen on the roster now.
"It will take time to build continuity, but I thought our pace of play was a positive and we did some good things (Friday). Of course we have stuff to clean up, but for the end of October, we're in a good spot and will just keep working toward getting better every day."
Burton, a sophomore from Olathe, Kan. who was at Rockhurst University last winter, went 11 of 15 from the field and hit five of his six attempts from three-point range. Fellow newcomers Manny Jentzen (12 points) and Walter Burns (11) also reached double figures for the Tritons, who picked up where they left off in eclipsing the century mark in the rout.
Iowa Central scored 100 or more points seven times last season, and cleared the 90-point mark on 13 more occasions.
Returning players Manny Lueth (9) and Carter Loney (8) helped the balanced Triton attack. Sebastian Malaith-Pokorny contributed nine points and EJ Breland added eight.
Jentzen had eight rebounds. Malachi Buckner dished out six assists.
"We obviously have a ton of room for improvement, and I think it's going to be fun to see where we're at down the road," Denholm said. "We have a lot of length and athleticism."
Iowa Central is at Mankato State on Saturday for a noon tip. The Tritons are back at home on Nov. 13 against Dakota County Tech.