Trojans pull away from Marshalltown in 2nd half

The hot dogs were comped and the second-half action after a short lull was tasty as a "Pack the Place" crowd cheered the Triton College men's basketball team to an 82-57 victory over Marshalltown Community College Feb. 18 at the Collins Center.

Brandon Muntu's seven three-pointers, including back-to-back treys to re-establish momentum in the second half, led a balanced Trojans attack as a savvy defensive effort forced 26 Tigers turnovers.

Triton (21-5) now has won 10 in a row while climbing rapidly in the national NJCAA rankings. The Trojans came in No. 9 with more room to move up as the end of the regular season looms and a first-round Region 4 playoff bye is assured.

"We threw a bunch of different presses against them," said Triton coach John Clancy. "If you told me we'd have a 25-point win against a solid Marshalltown team, I would have signed up. That defensive effort was pretty solid."

Winning its fifth in a row against the Tigers, the Trojans surged to as much as an 18-point first-half lead before settling in with a 39-25 edge at halftime. But coming out of the break, Triton did not score for 3 minutes while Marshalltown cut the lead down to five.

That's when Muntu (game-high 23 points) turned the tide. He nailed consecutive three-pointers to give Triton a 50-39 lead. Next time downcourt, Devon Barnes drained a trey giving the Trojans their breathing room again. Triton went on a 13-0 run for a 57-39 lead.

Soon afterward, Muntu collected his final three-pointer in 15 attempts for a 23-point lead, permitting the Trojans to coast to the final score.

While scoring just six points, guard Ethan Pickett was Triton's energy man with five assists and rebounds apiece. He was one of the key men in the game's flow and defensive mastery.

"I'm real good at transition, I try to push the ball and find my guys," Pickett said. "My dad said if you can't score, try to do (other) things."

Keyondre Young also was key throughout, including turning around the rhythm in the second half. Young had 17 points, including hitting all four free-throw attempts, along with five points and four steals in a team-leading 32-plus minutes on the court.

"It was Keyondre's best game," said Clancy.

Barnes had 10 points, Didier Maleng was heard from inside with six rebounds and Kimahri Wilson led with four assists while also notching four steals.

Clancy had a goal of forcing 25 turnovers after the Trojans forced 24 in the earlier 82-58 win at Marshalltown. He bested his goal by one.

"We're trending in the right direction," he said.

Pickett, headed to UIC next season, was pleased he showed his overall game in front of the school's coaching staff.

"They're great," he said. "That's why I signed a commitment there."

Follow Triton Athletics on Twitter @TritonTrojans1 or on Instagram @Triton_College_Athletics

(Story by tritonathletics.com contributor George Castle)