Central bench ignites offense for men’s road win
Central College
WAVERLY—Sophomore forward Jacob Winkler (Lancaster, Mo., Schuyler R-1 HS) turned in his second straight double-double, four players scored double digits and each player in the game contributed offensively as the Central College men’s basketball team rallied from an early deficit to a 66-57 victory over Wartburg College Wednesday night.
Springing out to a 6-0 lead in the first five minutes, Wartburg increased its lead to 18-6 before the Dutch replied with a 12-2 run to bring the score within two, 20-18. Central took its first lead of the game as it closed the half with a 7-0 run for 31-28 advantage into the break.
“We just didn’t get off to a good start,” coach Mike Boschee said. “But the bench gave us a spark and made up for us when we were behind.”
Central maintained the lead the rest of the game, widening the gap to 14 points with just under five minutes left to play.
“I didn’t think we played all that well but we played well enough to win,” Boschee said. “It’s hard to get a win on the road in this conference.”
The Dutch shot 33 percent from the floor and were just 2-of-17 from 3-point range, but made it to the free-throw line 34 times.
“Anytime you’re shooting that way behind the arc it’s going to be a difficult night,” Boschee said. “But we did well getting to the line and making free throws to counter that.”
Central (10-8, 6-4 conference) outrebounded the Knights 42-36 and limited Wartburg (6-12, 1-9 conference) to nine offensive boards.
Senior Demarco Turner (guard, Des Moines, East HS) led the Dutch attack with 13 points followed by forward James Chapline (senior, Ogden) with 11. Junior guard Brock Caves (Douds, Van Buren HS) and Winkler added 10 and Winkler reached his double-double with a game-high 13 rebounds. Chapline also had nine boards. Each Central player that entered the game scored at least two points.
Central meets Coe in a women’s-men’s doubleheader Saturday in Cedar Rapids. The women tipoff at 2 p.m. and the men start at 4 p.m. Coe topped Central 68-45 Jan. 8 in Pella.
With a bye during the week, the Kohawks sport a 13-5 overall record and are 7-2 in conference play.
