Clinton Community College center BeeJay Caleb (right) blocks a shot by Iowa Central's Ky Kramer in the second half Wednesday night at Yourd Gym. Photo: Supplied

Travis Witt (left), Samuel Bil (center) and Dione Blyden react after Bil's dunk in the second half of a loss to Iowa Central Community College on Wednesday night at Yourd Gym in Clinton. Photo: Supplied

The Cougars were down to seven players in uniform Wednesday, January 8, 2014, they are redshirting two players, which helps in practice, although that number should increase by one by this weekend’s home game against North Iowa Area Community College. “We were missing Kimani Stevens,” Joe Shovlain said, explaining that the bad weather conditions throughout much of the country prevented Stevens from flying back for the new semester from his home in the Virgin Islands.

Stevens had started 11 of the team’s first 12 games and is averaging 6.8 points a game. Travis Witt, a second-team All-Area player as a senior while averaging 14.3 points a game and leading Prince of Peace in rebounds, assists and steals, made his first appearance at the 17-minute, 41-second mark of the first half. “It took a half to get the rhythm down,” he said.

The Cougars (0-13) already trailed 6-2 when he came in, and they played from behind for all but 5 seconds of the game. The Tritons (10-8) needed only those few seconds to control the opening tip and have Malik Brooks find Ky Kramer breaking to the basket for a layup and a 2-0 lead. Kramer, a 6-2 freshman from Cedar Rapids Jefferson, finished with 12 points.

Dylan Travis led the Tritons with 20 points, while Javonte Young added 18. Iowa Central pushed the lead to 10-3 before Clinton got back-to-back baskets by BeeJay Caleb (17 points) and Onterior Brown (15).

Moments later, a 3-point basket by Trevon Gaines (11 points) made it a 14-10 game before the Tritons scored six in a row to establish their first double-digit lead. They kept the lead in the 10-point range until the final 4:10 of the first half.

Starting with a pair of free throws from Travis, the Tritons closed the half on a 12-6 run and went to the locker room leading 47-30. The lead reached 49-30 when Young opened the second half with a driving basket, but after treading water for the six minutes, the Cougars made a surge of their own to make things interesting the rest of the way.

With Clinton trailing 55-37, Gaines started the comeback with a pair of 3-point baskets on each side of a basket by Kramer, and then Samuel Bil (12 points) stuck in a trey from just left of the top of the key to cut the deficit to 57-46 with 11:56 remaining. “When he gets hot, he makes them,” Shovlain said of Gaines. “He has a streaky shot.”

Clinton got within nine on a Caleb putback, then he blocked a shot at the other end and Bil electrified the crowd and his teammates at the other end with a thunderous dunk. He was fouled on the basket and made the free throw to make it a 57-51 game with 10:49 left.

“That’s a huge confidence-builder for that kid,” Shovlain said. Iowa Central answered with baskets by Brooks and Jesse Jones to go up by 10, but a basket by Brown and two free throws from Witt cut it back to six, 61-55, with 7:59 remaining. A basket by Jones and two free throws by Travis pushed the lead back to 10, and Clinton got only as close as seven twice more, at 65-58 on a 3-pointer from Dione Blyden with 7:11 left and at 77-70 on a drive by Witt with 27 seconds remaining.

Although the Cougars couldn’t catch the Tritons, they did outscore them 43-34 in the second half. “We won the second half,” Witt said, “now we have to translate that into winning the first half, too.” They will try to do it in a January scheduled loaded with home games. Six of the seven January games take place at Yourd, which makes Witt happy. “I hope we can keep the fans coming,” he said. “I broadcasted about this game to lots of people.”