Hutchinson, Kansas -- On a night when their 3-point shots weren't falling, Indian Hills turned to Torrey Patton to supply a large chunk of their offense, and the sophomore delivered in a big way to help IHCC advance to the second round of the 2019 NJCAA National Tournament. The Warriors snapped a 5-game losing streak in the tourney with their 84-62 rout of Central Georgia Tech, and they earned a spot opposite No. 1 ranked Florida SouthWestern State in Wednesday's action.
Indian Hills (27-7), in its 15th national tournament, was chilly from behind the arc, making just 2-of-17 first-half attempts. They added four more threes in the final half, but ended the game at 22 percent.
Nick Wagner had both of the IHCC goals from distance before halftime and he combined with Patton and Tyler Chisom to account for 32 points in the opening period. All three were in double figures -- Patton and Chisom with 11 points apiece and Wagner with 10. While Chisom added only a free throw in the final 20 minutes and Wagner was held scoreless, Patton asserted himself on both ends of the floor. He pumped in 19 points and collected five rebounds, putting his game totals at a season-high 30 points and 11 boards.
Trailing by 16 points at 63-47, the Titans scored five straight to get to within 11. Patton stemmed the tide with a bank shot from in close and the Warriors were never in trouble after that. Patton punctuated his night with a late 3-pointer to send Indian Hills into a second game in the tournament for the first time since the 2013-14 season, when they lost in the title game.
Chisom's early three-point play sparked an IHCC run that took the lead from a single point to, eventually, a 13-point advantage late in the first half. JD Muila's dunk was part of that run and although Muila scored only six points he was a monster on the glass, pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds.
Central Georgia Tech (24-8), playing in their second straight national tourney, shot only 37 percent from the floor and 48 percent from the foul line.
Anyeuri Castillo's 17 points topped the Titans.
The next IHCC opponent, Florida SouthWestern State, got an opening-round bye and is seeded 5th. Their only two losses were to top-seeded Northwest Florida State by a total of five points.
INDIAN HILLS 84, CENTRAL GEORGIA TECH 62
INDIAN HILLS (27-6)
Devontae Lane 1 4-4 7, Lance Singh 0 0-0 0, Iziah James 4 0-0 9, Nick Wagner 4 0-0 10, Tyon Grant-Foster 2 1-2 5, Josh Nicholas 2 0-0 5, Tajim Smith 0 0-0 0, JD Muila 3 0-4 6, Anthony Bratton 0 0-0 0, Tyler Chisom 4 4-5 12, Torrey Patton 12 5-7 30 Team 32 14-22 84
CENTRAL GEORGIA TECH (24-8)
Anyeuiri Castillo 7 1-2 17, DeJon Waters 2 1-4 6, Ijon Owens 1 4-5 6, Evins Desir 5 1-3 11, Champ Dawson 2 0-0 5, Aaron Ridley 2 2-6 6, Terrell Howard 0 0-0 0, Juvante Hayes 2 2-3 8, Nate Brooks 0 0-0 0, Antonio Youngblood 0 0-0 0, Taija Blaylock 1 1-2 3 Team 22 12-25 62
Halftime score: Indian Hills 42, Central Georgia Tech 31; Three-point field goals: IHCC 6 (Wagner 2, Lane 1, James 1, Nicholas 1, Patton 1), CGT 6 (Castillo 2, Hayes 2, Waters 1, Dawson 1)