Defense keeps it close in SWCC loss

The nation’s No. 3-rated Division II junior college men’s team did not have it easy here Wednesday, as Kirkwood managed a 66-53 victory over Southwestern. Kirkwood improved to 26-2 overall and 12-1 in first place in the ICCAC. Southwestern stands in fifth at 5-7, and 16-11 overall. DaRell Crittendon, 6-5 sophomore from Shelbyville, Ky., led the Eagles with 17 points. Bryce Brunz added 14 points and former Iowa City prep guard Ali Farolkhmanesh, signed with UNI for next year, added 10 points. Freshman guard Ryckey Harper of Raytown, Mo., led the Spartans with 11 points. None of the Spartan post players scored more than eight points. “They were doubling down every time we caught it inside,” said Southwestern coach Jerry Drymon. “Ryckey has been shooting the ball well the last couple games and did a nice job. But overall we didn’t get enough shots down. Defensively we played pretty well. We held them to 29 points in the second half, and they’ve been averaging 80 points a game.” A third straight Southwestern opponent was held in the 60s by Southwestern’s man-to-man defensive scheme. “That gives us chances to win ballgames,” Drymon said. Kirkwood made nine 3-pointers in the first 12 minutes of the game in taking a 31-16 lead. But the Eagles added only two more treys the rest of the game. Harper had all three of Southwestern’s 3-pointers. Southwestern is set up for an important game Saturday at Fort Dodge against Iowa Central. The Tritons are one game behind the Spartans for fifth place as teams look for the best possible pairings in the March 1-2 regional tournament at Iowa Lakes of Estherville. “If we win, we’re the fifth seed,” Drymon said. “If they win they are probably the fifth seed on the tiebreaker system. They still play Clinton, which they should win, and we play (fourth-place) Ellsworth, which is a little tougher game. We just need to win and that will take care of it.” KIRKWOOD (66) — DaRell Crittendon 7 2-3 17, Bruce Brunz 5 1-2 14, Ali Farolkhmanesh 3 1-2 10, Bryant Kucera 3 1-2 10, Matt Banzhaf 2 0-1 5, Joel Barkers 2 0-0 4, Corey Viet 1 0-0 2. Totals — 25 5-13 66. 3-point goals — 11 (Brunz 3, Farolkhmanesh 3, Kucera 3, Banzhaf 1, Kucera 1). Team fouls — 14. SOUTHWESTERN (53) — Ryckey Harper 4 0-0 11, Laurice Ellison 4 0-0 8, Royce Phillips 3 1-2 7, Anthony Davis 3 1-2 7, Terrance Morgan 2 2-4 6, Kristian Williams 0 6-6 6, Tyler Raasch 1 2-2 4, Jamahl DePriest 2 0-0 4. Totals — 19 12-16 53. 3-point goals — 3 (Harper 3). Team fouls — 12. Fouled out — None. KIRKWOOD — 37 66 SWCC — 23 53