Tritons Advance to Region 11 Tournament Championship Game
There was a little "March Madness" in the air on Wednesday (3/5) night at "The Den" in Boone, IA. Down by as many as 19 in the first half and trailing 42-32 at halftime, the Tritons' leading scorer, Jordan Cain, took over and scored 27 of the Tritons' 51 second-half points to lead them to an 83-76 victory over top-seed and third-ranked DMACC to advance to the Region 11 Tournament Championship game.
"That's going to be one we'll all look back on and remember," said Triton Head Coach, Ryan Kirsch, following the win. "That's a tough environment. A tough place to play against the #3 team in the country."
Two big three-pointers by Jalen Wynter and Aleix Sempere Serrano gave the Tritons the lead with 11 minutes left in the second half and they would hold off the top-seeded Bears for the win. The Triton victory extended their win streak to eight and was their 20th of the season. Along with their win over Iowa Lakes on Saturday (3/1), it was also the second consecutive game that they've defeated a team who swept them during the regular season.
"We felt like we withstood the big punch by them in the first half. They throw a lot at you that can hurt you. And they did," said Kirsch. "We made some adjustments at half. We had to go with some different combinations, some different people out there."
Cain finished with 36 points, 13 rebounds, four steals and three assists to lead the Tritons. Sempere Serrano scored 14 points with five rebounds and Wynter added 11 points. With his four steals, Cain broke the Tritons' season record of 66 that was previously held by Yusef Gray. Cain sits at 69 steals currently. His 36 points is a top-20 all-time Triton scoring performance as well.
"What a performance from Jordan. He attacked the rim, made shots, got to the line," said Kirsch on Cain's play. "Just unbelievable. Every time we needed a bucket, he got one. Jordan put his Superman cape on for us."
With the win, the Tritons travel to Cedar Rapids, IA on Saturday (3/8) for the Region 11 Tournament Championship game against second-seed and fourth-ranked Kirkwood for a trip to the NJCAA National Tournament in Danville, IL. Coach Kirsch was an assistant coach at Kirkwood for four years prior to coming to Iowa Central and was a part of their 2019 National Championship team. Tip is set for 4:00 PM.
"Just a remarkable effort by our team tonight. That's a really big win for our program," said Kirsch. "We're excited to be in the Regional Championship game on Saturday afternoon and I'm excited to head back to Johnson Hall. It's a special place for me."
Statistical Leaders vs. DMACC –
Points – Jordan Cain (36), Aleix Sempere Serrano (14), Jalen Wynter (11), Vice Grbic (8)
Rebounds – Jordan Cain (13), Terrius Walker (6), Aleix Sempere Serrano (5), Vice Grbic (3), Lane Campbell (3)
Assists – CJ Mitchell (5), Lane Campbell (4), Jordan Cain (3)
Steals – Jordan Cain (4), Aleix Sempere Serrano (2), Five Tritons tied with one.