Moberly, Missouri -- A pair of free throws by Chris Payton with 4:15 to play broke a 58-all tie and started a game-ending 14-5 run that allowed Indian Hills to escape with a 72-63 decision over Moberly Saturday night as the Warriors got a sweep in their two-game appearance in the Moberly Classic.
IHCC hasn't had many free throw opportunities lately, having attempted a total of 19 in their previous three games. But with the game on the line against Moberly they made 9-of-10 to clinch their 8th win of the year.
After Payton hit his foul shots, JD Muila made one. Then Chris Childs got the biggest basket of the night, a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it a 6-point game with 1:35 remaining. After that, Tyrese Nickelson drained four straight at the line and Malique Jacobs two and the Warriors got away with their 7th win in a row against Moberly.
The Greyhounds never led. They battled from behind to tie the score twice -- at 44 and 58. Tyon Grant-Foster broke the first deadlock with a free throw and Nickelson and Payton followed with buckets.
Nickelson and Childs led a balanced IHCC attack with 12 points each. Maurice Calloo set a personal season-high with his 11 points and Grant-Foster and Muila pumped in 10 apiece.
Indian Hills ran away to a 12-point lead in the opening half before Moberly sliced it to a single point with a 13-2 run. Childs scored back-to-back field goals, the second one a three, to build the lead back up and Grant-Foster's triple at the end of the half sent the Warriors to the lockerroom up nine.
IHCC won despite making only seven field goals in the final period making their free throw chances even more important. They overcame turnover problems with some tough defense that allowed them to hold Moberly 36 points under their season scoring average.
The Greyhounds' Eddie Creal led all scorers with 21 points.
The Warriors return home for five straight games to close out the first half of the schedule. The first is against Willison State (ND) on Friday night. Williston State, like Indian Hills and Moberly, was a national tournament team last March.
INDIAN HILLS 72, MOBERLY AREA 63
INDIAN HILLS
Chris Payton 2 3-4 7, Maurice Calloo 4 0-0 11, Tyrese Nickelson 4 4-4 12, Loseni Kamara 2 0-0 6, Chris Childs 5 0-0 12, Malique Jacobs 1 2-6 4, Tyon Grant-Foster 2 4-6 10, Drake Jeffries 0 0-0 0, JD Muila 4 2-4 10 Team 24 15-24 72
MOBERLY AREA
Eddie Creal 7 6-9 21, Markelo Sullivan 2 0-0 6, Tyrek Chambers 2 0-0 5, Cortez Mosley 4 3-3 12, Dezi Jones 3 0-2 8, Dusan Mahorcic 1 1-2 3, Quinton Drayton 2 0-0 5, Juwon Carpenter 1 0-0 3 Team 22 10-16 63
Halftime score: Indian Hills 41, Moberly 32; Three-point field goals: IHCC 9 (Calloo 3, Kamara 2, Childs 2, Grant-Foster 2), MACC 9 (Sullivan 2, Jones 2, Creal 1, Chambers 1, Mosley 1, Drayton 1, Carpenter 1)