By: Dana Becker
Messenger Sports Staff
Chad Helle hates to put too much stock into any early-season game.
But, the veteran Iowa Central men's head coach also understands the importance of getting better each time on the court.
For a stretch of the second half here Thursday night, the Tritons showed plenty of that. In the end, though, it wasn't enough, as they dropped a 72-66 overtime decision to the Grand View JV inside Hodges Fieldhouse.
"No excuses," Helle said. "They played harder than us from the opening tip until the end. That is something you cannot allow to happen on your home floor.
"You have to be the one setting the tone."
Down by as many as 14 after the break, Iowa Central (1-1 overall) mounted a comeback, tying the contest and even giving themselves multiple chances to win it in regulation.
The Vikings survived and thrived once the extra period started, outscoring the Tritons 9-3. Josh Sanderson, who helped lead Grand View Christian to an undefeated season and Class 1A state title last winter, scored a game-high 20 points with 13 rebuonds and six assists.
Nate Hoter added 17 as Grand View JV made 11 triples to overcome 17 turnovers.
"We let them get too many offensive rebounds and too many second-chance points," Helle said. "They wanted it more and that showed."
For Iowa Central, Mekhi Wilson had 13, Miles Fant and Randy Latham each scored 12, and Deuce Blake added 11. Riley Edwards, the son of former Fort Dodge Senior High and Iowa Central assistant coach Brad Edwards, added nine points with three assists off the bench.
"Riley gave us some good, hard minutes there in the second half," Helle said. "We just can't put ourselves in the kind of situation we did and expect to win games. Not against this team or any team for that matter."
The Tritons are now off until next week when they host the Iowa Central Classic. They play Central-Columbus on Friday and Dakota County Tech on Saturday.
GRAND VIEW JV 72,
IOWA CENTRAL 66
Iowa Central — Mekhi Wilson 5-14 0-0 13, Chase Johnson 0-1 1-2 1, Miles Fant 6-15 0-2 12, Randy Latham 4-10 3-3 12, Daviyon Gaston 2-8 0-0 5, Deuce Blake 5-11 0-1 11, Chase Low 1-2 0-0 3, Jordan Fenderson 0-0 0-0 0, Riley Edwards 3-7 0-2 9, Terrius Walker 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 26-69 4-10 66.
Grand View JV — Matthew Watters 4-6 0-0 8, Nate Hoter 7-14 0-1 17, Josh Sanderson 8-19 0-0 20, Carsen Jones 4-8 0-0 8, Ty Morrison 2-4 1-2 7, Adam Dunlap 1-2 0-0 2, Carson VandeLune 0-2 0-0 0, Garret Phillips 0-0 0-0 0, Jonah Leifker 1-2 0-0 2, Mason Scheve 2-6 0-0 5, Caden Stocklein 0-4 0-0 0, Frankie Chiodo 1-5 0-0 3. Totals: 30-72 1-3 72.
Halftime score: Grand View JV led 37-33. Three-point goals: Iowa Central 10-34 (Wilson 3, Latham 1, Gaston 1, Blake 1, Low 1, Edwards 3), Grand View JV 11. Total rebounds: Iowa Central 32, Grand View JV 55. Assists: Iowa Central 13, Grand View JV 18. Steals: Iowa Central 9, Grand View JV 2. Blocked shots: Iowa Central 3, Grand View JV 1. Turnovers: Iowa Central 8, Grand View JV 17. Personal fouls: Iowa Central 8, Grand View JV 14.