Ottumwa -- Chris Childs hit a jump shot with 1.2 seconds remaining to allow Indian Hills to escape with a 70-68 victory over Coffeyville CC at the Hellyer Center on Saturday night. The win, in the Financial Partners Classic, came on the heels of an overtime decision for IHCC the night before when Childs also came up big late, scoring 11 points in OT to allow the Warriors to defeat Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.
Against Coffeyville, Childs poured in a season-high 28 points, the final two securing IHCC's sixth straight victory to begin the season.
Indian Hills got the ball with 8.2 seconds to play after Bostyn Holt had banked in a shot for Coffeyville to tie the score at 68. Childs dribbled into the front court and pulled up just inside the three-point arc to bury the winning shot.
It was the second consecutive game in which the Warriors had to come back in the second half. Saturday, they trailed midway through the second period until JD Muila scored inside to knot the score at 51. The Red Ravens used an 11-0 run early in the half to charge back after Childs nailed a 3-pointer to start the second-half scoring.
Coffeyville refused to surrender the lead until Chris Payton's bucket made it 55-54 IHCC. Childs drilled another three - he had six for the second night in a row - to make it a four-point game. Coffeyville responded with five straight points to regain the advantage.
Payton's two foul shots put IHCC ahead, 60-59, and he made a layup for a three-point lead, before Tylor Perry evened the score with a 3-pointer. Payton, who made eight consecutive FTs in the second half, made a pair with 2:43 left to snap a 62-all tie.
A Tony Hutson free throw made it a one-point game and then IHCC's Drake Jeffries made one of his two big plays coming down the stretch. Jeffries got an offensive rebound and laid it in for a three-point margin. Then, with the game deadlocked at 66-66, Jeffries drew a foul with the shot clock running down and hit both free throws for a 68-66 IHCC lead. That set the stage for the Holt bucket followed by the Childs game-winner.
The game was as close as you would expect a contest between two perennial national tournament teams to be. The largest lead either side managed was an 8-point margin for IHCC in the opening half. That came after Childs scored five straight points and Samba Kane converted on a fast-break. Indian Hills was on top by four at intermission. Childs had 16 of his points by then, including four 3-pointers.
Coffeyville played through foul problems in the second half. Three of the Red Ravens' starters picked up his fourth foul in less than a minute starting at the 8:24 mark.
In addition to Childs' 28, Payton had 12, all in the second half, and Tyrese Nickelson chipped in 11 points.
Meikkel Murray's 20 points led Coffeyville. Kymani Dunham scored 13.
Indian Hills now will take its unbeaten early-season record to Florida for a pair of games hosted by Northwest Florida State. The Warriors will battle Gulf Coast CC on Thursday and the host Raiders on Friday.
INDIAN HILLS 70, COFFEYVILLE 68
INDIAN HILLS (6-0)
Chris Payton 2 8-9 12, Maurice Calloo 2 0-0 4, Tyrese Nickelson 4 2-2 11, Loseni Kamara 0 0-0 0, Chris Childs 8 6-6 28, Drake Jeffries 1 4-4 6, JD Muila 2 0-2 4, Dedoch Chan 1 0-0 3, Ben Lyon 0 0-2 0, Samba Kane 1 0-0 2 Team 21 20-25 70
COFFEYVILLE (6-2)
Meikkel Murray 8 3-4 20, Tony Hutson 0 4-6 4, Kymani Dunham 6 1-2 13, Bostyn Holt 4 0-0 9, Manny Crump 4 2-4 10, Tylor Perry 2 4-4 10, Jalen Smith 0 0-0 0, Tyronn Mosley 0 0-0 0, Gentrell Taylor 0 0-0 0, Larry White 1 0-0 2 Team 25 14-20 68
Halftime score: Indian Hills 34, Coffeyville 30; Three-point field goals: IHCC 8 (Childs 6, Nickelson 1, Chan 1), CCC 4 (Perry 2, Murray 1, Holt 1)