March 28, 2024

Successful sophomore day

partans take care of home court, now hold one-game lead in league race

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Southwestern Community College’s men’s basketball team entered Saturday’s Sophomore Day game facing a team that had given them one of their stiffest tests to date.

For 30 minutes, round two between the Spartans and Iowa Lakes was headed for another finish similar to the game on Jan. 28 in Estherville which Southwestern won 96-95 in overtime.

Southwestern’s KeShawn Wilson, Brodric Thomas and company made sure Sophomore Day would be remembered in a positive light.

Thomas buried a couple of 3-pointers halfway through the second half, along with a triple from Wilson, in leading the NJCAA Division II second-ranked Spartans to an 86-68 win in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play.

Thomas’ two triples and Wilson’s bucket from long range turned a 54-47 Spartans lead into a comfortable 67-56 edge.

“We needed that,” said Southwestern coach Todd Lorensen. “It was a situation where it felt like they were going to go on an 8-2 run to make it really interesting or we were going to go on an 8-2 run to calm the storm. Those two threes (from Thomas) really helped.”

Southwestern’s open looks from long range came as the dribble-drive play of the guards opened up looks on the outside.

The Spartans struggled to do that effectively in the first half, but did so much better in the second half to give Wilson, Thomas and company open looks.

“We started moving the ball more,” Wilson said. “Coach was really mad at us in the first half. The ball was pretty stagnant. We weren’t passing and cutting.”

Wilson had 16 points, 14 coming in the second half. Jordan Johnson scored 12, 10 coming after halftime.

Southwestern’s bench play contributed strong minutes throughout. Lavon Hightower had 19 points off the bench to lead Southwestern. Malachi Canada added seven.

The Spartans needed the help from the bench as several starters battled through foul trouble. Thomas eventually fouled out, while Calvin Chambers had three in the first half.

“It’s a great luxury as a coach to if it does happen we have many guys who can step up and fill that role,” Lorensen said. “In my mind, we have seven starters, but only five of them are in the game to begin with.”

Hightower and reserve point guard Khalid Edwards have been key components of the second unit.

“Lavon and Khalid are both starter-caliber guys in this league and they’ve proved that,” Lorensen said.

Canada added several big plays keeping possessions alive.

“I’m always trying to come off the bench with energy,” Canada. “That’s my role to be a glue guy, playing hard, getting every rebound.”

Southwestern’s second unit took on a greater sense of urgency after being implored to by the starters.

“We had a team meeting and the starters told us to be ready,” Canada said. “They can’t always been there, maybe not playing a lot. We’re a team. We’re a family.”

Southwestern and Iowa Lakes went back and forth in the first half.

Southwestern led by as many as nine, 29-20. Iowa Lakes cut the lead to two, 34-32, late in the first half. The Spartans led 36-32 at the break.

But Southwestern had too much offense in the second half, leading to a happy ending to a game where many of the Spartans’ family members were in attendance.

“It means a lot,” said Canada, a Des Moines native. “It’s always good for family to see me play.”

Southwestern’s win, coupled with Kirkwood’s 82-80 loss at Iowa Central, gives the Spartans a one game lead in the standings with two league games to go for both teams.

Southwestern sits at 9-1 in the league. Kirkwood is 8-2.

Southwestern is on the road twice in the final week. The Spartans travel to Fort Dodge Wednesday to meet up with Iowa Central. On Saturday, the Spartans close out the regular season at NIACC.

One win locks up a share of the league title, and home court advantage in the region playoffs for Southwestern. Two wins gives the Spartans the league title outright.

“We don’t want to take anything for granted,” Lorensen said. “This puts us in a good situation where hopefully we don’t, but if we do have a misstep somewhere this week we’ll still be a good position for the number one seed in the regional tournament where we’ve lost one game in this gym (in the last two seasons.)”

Iowa Central poses a stiff test with its back court.

“Iowa Central’s got three really good guards,” Lorensen said. “I’m sure their depth isn’t near as good as they want to it to be. Hopefully with some of our larger-size guys coming in and out, we can run and jump them like we did them the first time, get them out of control, get them worn down. Hopefully we’ll have success with that.”

Even with what amounts to a two-game lead in the standings — as Southwestern owns the tiebreaker over Kirkwood to a better strength of schedule in non-conference play — the Spartans still have tunnel vision.

“We still have to win the next two,” Thomas said. “We’re locked in. We’re doing what we have to do to get the win.”

Lorensen knows his team will keep a sharp focus this week against both Iowa Central and NIACC.

“We want to go to Iowa Central and take care of business, then have Saturday to be a game where we work on some this really hard, be ready to roll and roll the next week.”

IC (68) 34-34

SW (86) 36-50

Southwestern totals — 30 15-24-86. Scoring — Alijah Thomas 1 1-2 4. Brodric Thomas 3 0-2 9. Lavon Hightower 7 2-20 19. Jamil Maddred 3 1-6 9. Jordan Johnson 5 2-2 12. Calvin Chambers 2 4-4 8. KeShawn Wilson 5 2-2 16. Malachi Canada 2 3-4 7. Bennie Curtis 1 0-0 2. Three-point field goals — 15 (A. Thomas 1, Thomas 3, Hightower 3, Maddred 2, Wilson 2). Fouls — 17. Fouled out — B. Thomas.