:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/74FMFZLUVN4BXUWZTZ54FXJZGQ.jpg)
ELLSWORTH – Southwestern picked up a win over the weekend, beating Ellsworth on the road in a 80-75 final Saturday.
The win for the Spartans came against a conference foe and is their first conference win of the season.
“Any time you play in our conference, which arguably is one of the toughest conferences in the country, any time you can get a road win over a quality opponent is good,” said SWCC head coach Devin Kastrup.
The Spartans took the lead over Ellsworth by 15 twice, both times coming in the second half.
SWCC led by two entering the half at 30-28 before holding a 5-point lead into the final minutes with the final score ending at 80-75.
“We let them back in both times,” said Kastrup on the lead getting shortened. “But, we made plays we needed to down the stretch and that showed some improvement to me, that we were able to make those plays when they counted.”
Taking the considerable lead was off the execution of ball movement and communication on both ends.
“We were moving the ball and playing in space and on the defensive end we were locked in and communicating,” said Kastrup. “We were guarding the ball. The combination of those things that we preach every day led to some success.”
In the win, the Spartans had a team-high 25 points from James Kelley. Kelley went 10 of 11 from the free-throw line and was 7-for-10 from the field. He also grabbed 12 rebounds to complete the double-double.
Akeen Woods scored 14 points in the win and Sebastian Zehnder scored 12 points.
Loss to ranked foe
OTTUMWA – The Spartans faced NJCAA Div. I No. 9 Indian Hills Tuesday night, falling in a 95-61 loss to the Indians.
The Indians opened the game up to a 21-8 lead before turning it into a 30-12 contest. Entering the half, SWCC trailed 41-23 and was unable to close the gap as it grew to a 30-plus difference.
Kastrup felt the team wasn’t trying to ride the emotional high of the win from Saturday as much as they were trying to go out and compete against one of the best teams on its schedule.
“If you try to play based off emotion and what happened previously, then you’re going to be really up and down,” said Kastrup. “You try to treat each game individually and try to focus on the task at hand and what’s important now. Irregardless of the result Saturday, Tuesday’s game was a brand new game and we had to get focused and give it everything we had.”
Facing a team that is on its way to a potential postseason run, Kastrup compared the opportunity to face one of the top teams in the nation to something that all teams must go through in order to achieve greatness.
“It’s an opportunity for these kids. If you want to be in boxing and the heavyweight champion of the world, you have to get in the ring with the champ to get the belt. We stepped in the ring (Tuesday) with a heavy weight and when you do that there’s opportunities when you’re going to get hit and take punches.
“We’re not quite there yet, but it showed our guys what a championship caliber team looks like,” added Kastrup.
Against Indian Hills, the Spartans were led by Donzell Johnson and Creshaun Brown’s 14 points. Woods scored 13 and Kelley scored 12 while both grabbing six boards, tying the team lead.
UP NEXT – The Spartans will face Independence Community College Friday at 7 p.m. and Kansas City, Kansas Community College Saturday at 4 p.m.
Southwestern 80, Ellsworth 75
SWCC (80) — 30 50
ELLS (75) — 28 47
SOUTHWESTERN (FG FT PTS) — Totals — 26 18-26 80. James Kelley 7 10-11 25, Akeen Woods 5 2-4 14, Sebastian Zehnder 4 0-0 12, Donzell Johnson 3 0-0 8, Charles Johnson 3 1-4 7. FG shooting — 26-56 (46.4 percent). 3-point goals — 10 (Zehnder 4, Woods 2, Donzell Johnson 2). Rebounds — 29 (Kelley 12, Woods 6, Charles Johnson 4). Assists — 14 (Woods 3, Donzell Johnson 2, Kyle Hawthorne 2, Charles Johnson 2). Steals — 6. Blocked shots — 3. Turnovers — 9. Team fouls — 16. Fouled out — None.
ELLSWORTH (FG FT PTS) — Totals —29 7-10 75. Adam Jackson 14 4-5 37, Anthony Edy 4 2-2 13, CJ Wright 3 0-1 6, Josh Donaldson 2 0-0 5, Calan Blackley 1 0-0 5. FG shooting — 29-62 (46.8 percent). 3-point goals — 10. Rebounds — 31. Assists — 10. Steals — 1. Blocked shots — 1. Turnovers — 12. Team fouls — 22. Fouled out — None.
Indian Hills 95, Southwestern 61
SWCC (61) — 23 38
INDH (95) — 41 54
SOUTHWESTERN (FG FT PTS) — Totals — 19 12-19 61. Creshaun Brown 5 0-0 14, Donzell Johnson 5 -12 14, Akeen Woods 3 6-8 13, James Kelley 3 4-6 11. FG shooting — 19-58 (32.8 percent). 3-point goals — 11 (Brown 4, Donzell Johnson 3). Rebounds — 32 (Woods 6, Kelley 6). Assists — 8 (Woods 4). Steals — 6. Blocked shots — none. Turnovers — 15. Team fouls — 23. Fouled out — Kelley, Donzell Johnson.
INDIAN HILLS (FG FT PTS) — Totals —32 18-27 95. Tron Grant-Foster 6 5-7 21, Chris Childs 5 0-0 15, JD Muila 3 3-9 9, Maurice Calloo 4 0-1 9, Drake Jeffries 2 4-4 9. FG shooting — 32-66 (48.5 percent). 3-point goals — 13. Rebounds — 49. Assists — 19. Steals — 5. Blocked shots — 5. Turnovers — 11. Team fouls — 17. Fouled out — None.