The Iowa Central men nearly put together a comeback, falling just short here Wednesday night vs. Iowa Lakes, 77-69.

After trailing by as many as 12 in the second half, the Tritons cut the deficit to six with a minute to play.

The Lakers, though, were able to make just enough free throws to seal the win and complete a season sweep.

"We had one stretch there in the second for about three minutes that put us behind," Iowa Central head coach Chad Helle said. "Still, we showed a lot of fight and a lot of character to battle back and make it a game. We could have just thrown in the towel, but we didn't, and at this point in the season, that is a good sign."

Kevin Taylor had another double-double, scoring 20 points with 10 rebounds, while Javonte Keck added 16 points for the Tritons (12-17 overall, 4-11 in ICCAC). 

For Iowa Lakes (18-8, 10-4), Ryan Hall and Caleb Johnson each scored 16 with Jeremiah Burke adding 13. 

The two battled to a halftime draw with the Tritons taking the lead to start the second half on a Keck 3-pointer. From there, though, the Lakers went on a 14-4 run to gain control of the contest. 

"We did a lot of good things, but we've still got to clean up several other areas," Helle said. "In this conference, every single mistake is a crucial one."

Jordan Majeed, playing his final home game like Keck and Jaxon Smith, added 10 points. Kyler Matthias chipped in eight and Terbuto Ochthow five off the bench. 

Iowa Central will conclude its regular season next Wednesday at Northeast before beginning Region XI Tournament play.

-By Dana Becker