Two of ICCAC’s elite on display Wednesday night

Two of the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference's top-ranked players went toe-to-toe Wednesday night in Iowa Falls.

Sophomore Latrel Davis led all scorers with 32 points, his second 30-point game of the season, as Western Iowa Tech lost to Ellsworth 108-84.

Davis also pulled down 11 rebounds – his third-best game on the glass – for his third double-double of the season.

"Latrel is a very dynamic player," WIT head coach Harvis 'Coco' Cofield said. "When he's engaged and he's doing what he needs to do he can be very efficient for us. He was attacking, he was aggressive, he wasn't thinking too much. He was just being Latrel."

During a 19-10 WIT run midway through the first half, Davis had a two-possession sequence that encapsulated his offensive prowess.

After grabbing a defensive rebound, Davis pushed the ball up the court and settled in on the right wing. He slowly worked his way toward the top of the arc, feinted to his right and, as his defender shuffled his feet, pulled back and elevated for three. Good. Just 20 seconds later, Davis went pump fake, jab-step, hesi, drive left, spin move right into a fadeaway that bounced in and sent Davis running down the court with his palms up. 

Davis' performance was made more impressive by his defender on those plays, Chimobi Ikegwuruka. A late add to the Panthers roster, Ikegwuruka has played just 15 of his team's 26 games and is not yet qualified for the conference's stat leaderboard (players must play in 60% of their team's games). However, his 19.3 points per game, 10 rebounds per game and 2.2 blocks per game would all rank first among ICCAC Division II players.

Ikegwuruka finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and one steal on Wednesday.

"I think we did a good job on him, but he's a tough matchup," Cofield said.

Davis' 15.8 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game are both fifth in conference.

Jailyn Spears and Keishaun Pendleton each scored 17 points to provide the Comets with plenty of secondary scoring. Pendleton was 6-for-12 from the field and Spears was 5-for-11.

The Comets' (6-17 overall, 2-13 ICCAC) fight was on display for long stretches of each half. After being doubled-up by Ellsworth 26-13 nine minutes into the game, WIT methodically chipped away at the deficit, outscoring the Panthers 19-10 over the next six minutes.

Juvares Safford's pump-and-drive from the top of the key got the run started. It was Safford's only points of the game, though he finished tied for second on the Comets with five rebounds.

Ashton Pennamon split a pair of free throws after getting a steal and transition opportunity, and scored on a fast-break put-back a minute later. He finished with nine points.

In between points by Pennamon, Spears grabbed a loose-ball rebound and found Davis at the top of the key in transition. Davis drove to his right, drew a foul that sent him to the ground while his shot fell through for two. Davis sank the free throw.

On a possession earned from a drawn charge by Safford, Pendleton hit a running floater one step in from the elbow to make it 26-17.

Pendleton later made 1 of 2 free throws and capped the run with a slicing drive from the right corner to the middle of the key, where he finished with an off-balance floater.

"It's good to see Keishaun back playing and playing at a high level that I know he can," Cofield said. "He's always one of those sparks off the bench for us that gives us momentum."

Ellsworth answered with a 3-pointer to put them up 39-32, but still took a timeout to slow the Comets head-of-steam.

The stretch was a microcosm of how the Comets have, at times, gone shot for shot with the best teams in ICCAC, which also happen to be some of the top-ranked teams in the NJCAA.

"It never felt like we were out of the game," Cofield said.

For 25-35 minutes a night, the games are a dead heat. It's the other 5-15 minutes when games are won and lost. Cofield said the Comets need to defend without fouling, hit their free throws and take care of the ball in order to close out these games.

"Our effort and energy is there, but we just need to make sure we're doing a better job of controlling what we can control," Cofield said.

WIT plays its final of four straight road games this Saturday at Central Community College in Columbus, Nebraska.

"Adversity builds character," Cofield said. "You're going to have to win on the road, you have to win games no matter what."

The non-conference match-up is a make-up game originally scheduled for January 13 but postponed due to weather. Central is 14-10 overall and beat WIT 76-70 in Sioux City on December 13.

The Comets will return to the Dunker Center for an ICCAC game against North Iowa Area CC at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. It will be their first home game since January 31.

The final home game of the season will be Saturday, February 24 at 1 p.m. against Northeast Community College. WIT's sophomores will be celebrated in a pre-game ceremony.