Prowell paces Waldorf past Morningside

By Matt Oliver

SIOUX CITY – June Prowell erupted for a game-high 33 points to pace the Waldorf College men’s basketball team in an 80-74 victory over Morningside College during the Briar Cliff Holiday Classic on Tuesday.

Prowell was in rhythm all afternoon as he shot 58.8 percent, going 10-of-17 from the floor, 4-of-6 (66.7 percent) from 3-point range and 9-of-11 (81.8 percent) at the free-throw line. The 6-foot-2 junior guard from Atlanta pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, handed out two assists and came away with two steals behind a strong defensive performance.

“June was really aggressive,” Waldorf coach Nigel Jenkins said. “He just found good lanes to get in to attack the basket and was able to knock down open shots.”

Senior Erik Brewer added 13 points, four rebounds and four assists for the Warriors, who are receiving votes in the latest National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division II poll. Junior Michael Morgan dropped in 10 points and collected six boards. Senior Tyler Parrish provided nine points, a game-high eight assists, four rebounds and two steals.

Waldorf received seven points from junior Pierre Roddy. Sophomore Eric English scored six points while sophomore Kaden Verdin contributed two points, six rebounds and blocked three shots.

“It was balanced out pretty well,” Jenkins said. “We’ve got to continue to have that. Eric [English] gave us some great minutes and a lot of energy. That’s what we expect out of all of our guys is being able to step up and contribute.”

Bryce Koch led the Mustangs (4-9) with 23 points and also grabbed nine rebounds, going 60 percent from the floor on 9-of-15 shooting. Ryan Tegtmeier recorded a double-double, finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds while lifting Morningside to a 41-37 edge on the boards.

Brody Van Ginkel finished with 12 points for the Mustangs and Brody Egger also scored in double figures with 10 points.

The Warriors shot 51.9 percent in the opening half, knocking down 14-of-27 attempts from the field and going 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) from downtown. They led by as many as 11 points, but Morningside kept it close as Waldorf owned a 37-31 halftime advantage.

It was a tightly-contested second half until the Warriors stretched their lead to nine points, pushing the score to 75-66 following a 3-point play from Parrish with 54 seconds remaining in the game. The Mustangs continued to battle. A 3-pointer from Tegtmeier trimmed Waldorf’s lead to 77-74 with 24 seconds left on the clock. Prowell hit three foul shots down the stretch to ice the win.

“At the end of the day, you always want to just try to find ways to win and we were able to do that,” Jenkins said. “Defensively, we did a pretty solid job overall. Late in the game we started having some breakdowns that we’ve got to be better at, but our effort and energy was really high.”

The Warriors turned in a 49.2-percent shooting performance, finishing 30-of-61 from the floor and 7-of-18 (38.9 percent) behind the arc. Morningside shot 27-of-67 (40.3 percent) from the field and went 7-of-26 (26.9 percent) from the perimeter. Both teams had identical efforts at the charity stripe, converting on 13-of-19 (68.4 percent) attempts.

Waldorf held a slight advantage in the paint, outscoring the Mustangs 42-38. Morningside controlled the offensive boards by a 13-7 margin to generate a 17-8 advantage in second-chance points.

The Warriors came away with an 11-7 advantage in points off turnovers while forcing the Mustangs to commit 12 turnovers. Waldorf turned the ball over 11 times.

The Warriors wrap up the Briar Cliff Holiday Classic on Wednesday as they take on No. 12 Briar Cliff University (12-2) at 7:30 p.m. Averaging 97.7 points on the season, the Chargers currently rank third in scoring among NAIA Division II teams and have five players who are averaging double-figure point totals.

“They’re going to be a very tough matchup,” Jenkins said. “They shoot the ball extremely well from the three. We’re going to have to play our ‘A game’ in order to beat these guys. I think our guys are going to be up for the challenge.