Driftmier hit 9-of-10 from the floor and scored 22 points with 11 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and three steals. Forward Taylor Phipps added 18 points while guards Chris Nelson and Zak Clark contributed 13 and 10 points, respectively. Clark had a game-high six assists.
Central (5-3) led by as many as 14 points but had to withstand several Waldorf runs as the Warriors (4-10) fired home 10 3-point goals in 23 attempts while the Dutch were scoreless from beyond the arc, going 0-of-9. But Central’s inside game was the difference as the Dutch got several easy shots and were able to hit 56.1 percent from the floor to Waldorf’s 42.9 percent. Central also held a 36-31 lead on the glass.
“We did a good job of running our offense,” coach Mike Boschee said. “When we were patient and looked to get the ball inside, we were pretty effective. But after we run a little bit, we have trouble settling down sometimes.”
Boschee said handling opponent rallies is a key to success on the road.
“They were on their home court, and they’ve got some pride,” he said. “Every time we let up, they made a big run. But we handled those runs with some runs of our own. Driftmier made some big plays for us and Phipps made some big plays. We’re going to need that.”
Despite Waldorf’s 3-point barrage, Boschee liked Central’s defensive effort.
“For the most part we did a good job of containing them on the perimeter, which is one of their strengths. Rebounding has been a concern for us, but Phipps made a concerted effort to do more on the boards and our guards did more.”
Central resumes Iowa Conference play next Wednesday with a women’s-men’s doubleheader at home against the University of Dubuque. Game time is 8 p.m. at Kuyper Gym.