Down 10-9 early, the Iowa Central women found their focus in a hurry.

Powered by Carley West, the Tritons went on a 46-10 run to post a convincing 68-45 victory over Northeast and advance in the Region XI Tournament. Iowa Central (24-7 overall) will face Iowa Western on Saturday in Cedar Rapids at 3 p.m. 

West finished with 24 points, including 22 in the first half. She also had 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals, with Jayden Frank adding 14 points and nine rebounds. Nevaeh Galloway chipped in six points and 12 boards. 

"We defended better," Iowa Central head coach Brian Ortmeier said. "We focused on that end of the court, and when Carley gets going like that, we are a different team."

Just a week ago, Northeast ended the regular season with a four-point victory over the Tritons. Iowa Central won the first meeting by four, but this one quickly got out of hand.

West tallied seven consecutive points to turn a one-point deficit into a 17-10 lead. By the time the teams reached halftime, the Tritons were ahead 38-16. 

"I thought our focus was good in practice and we had that revenge factor," Ortmeier said. "We were able to take (Ashley) Hassett away and I thought we played our best defense in about three weeks."

Hassett, who came into the game averaging 20 points and scored 34 in the win over Iowa Central, had 17 with 12 rebounds. But she was just 6-for-18 from the floor and 4 of 8 at the free throw line. Hassett was also the only player in double figures for the Hawks. 

Autumn Dykstra, Nevaeh Moeschter, Taylor McKinney and Emma Scurek each added five points, while Ashley Fountain had six rebounds. 

During the regular season, Iowa Western won both meetings over the Tritons. The Reivers topped Southeastern, 91-63. 

"It's exciting getting the chance to play them on a neutral court," Ortmeier said. "We've got things we need to work on before Saturday but we'll be ready to go."

In the other regional semifinal, Kirkwood will face North Iowa Area at 1 p.m. The winners meet on Sunday at 1 p.m. for a spot in the national tournament. 

-By Dana Becker