OTTUMWA, IA – On a night that some fans were allowed back in the Hellyer Center for the first time since last year's North Central District Championship was clinched on March 5, 2020, the building didn't rock like it did on that night. But, it did make a difference.
It could be argued that limited crowd of around 50 spectators did just enough to help buoy the spirits of the Warrior troops to help catapult them to a 94-71 victory over rival Southeastern. The game was nip-and-tuck most of the way with IHCC finding themselves trailing by a deuce at the half after leading by as much as eight in the opening twenty minutes.
"At halftime we wondered, 'is this going to go down to the wire?'" said IHCC Head Coach Hank Plona after his Warriors had completed the regular-season sweep of the Blackhawks. "Having those few extra people in here, even though it might have only been fifty people, having those additional voices probably helped us out tonight.
"Our guys have a lot to play for. Not just what's out there in terms of their future or our future as a team. There's a lot of people out there that want us to do well," Plona explained. "Sometimes when you see it with your own eyes, there's an added inspiration. Added motivation.
Every bit of that intangible motivation was needed as it was a one-point contest with 7:06 still remaining on the clock when Plona called a timeout. At that point, those in attendance had every reason to believe that the rematch could end up destined for a nail-biting finish, or even in overtime like the previous installment did in West Burlington back on January 27.
This time, however, the Warriors would ensure there wouldn't be nearly as much suspense.
Tyem Freeman sandwiched a couple free throws around a pair of buckets and Taj Anderson drilled one of his six 3-pointers and suddenly the Warriors had a 10-point cushion at 75-65.
A Kennedy Milton free throw stopped the bleeding for the Blackhawks with 4 ½ minutes to play, but then it was off to the races for the Warrior offense as a 12-0 run that included another Anderson trey and a Freeman slam, and just like that IHCC was up 21 and the contest was all but over with just under three minutes left.
"We played the best we have in a while there in the second half," Plona admitted. "The biggest mistakes we made on offense in the first half was hesitating. I think we want to be a little too unselfish at times. At half I was most upset at not shooting what was there. We want our guys playing with supreme confidence."
Freeman led all scorers with 31 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the field. The Springfield, Missouri native collected 10 boards on his way to a double-double.
"Tye's highlight dunks are part of it for him," Plona said. "Sometimes his two-point plays feel like they're worth a little bit more than two points. I've honestly never seen a guy who just ferociously tries to rip off the rim every single time. He helps get our team going. But it's not just that. He's a smart basketball player. Defensively, rebounding, running the floor. I'm not sure I've ever had a guy that can affect the game on every single spot on the floor. Luckily, I'm never going to have to figure out in my lifetime how to stop Tye. But if I did, I don't know what I would do. He's certainly a very talented player and we're lucky to have him."
Anderson poured in 23 points including 6-of-7 shooting from behind the arc in what is becoming a common occurrence for the first-year player from the Bronx.
"Taj Anderson could possibly be the best freshman guard in junior college," Plona stated. "For a true freshman? We've never had a kid average, 15, 16, 17 points or whatever he's at. I think he's getting better as the year goes on, and we're almost taking him for granted because it's easy to forget that he's only about ten games into his college career."
Curtis Jones added 15 points for the Warriors, who, according to their coach were in a bit of a funk lately because their floor leader was only "good" when prior to that he had been "way better than good."
"Curt's the glue to the whole operation, and that's why I play him more than anyone," Plona explained. "He's the guy that not only knows where our four other guys need to be, but he knows where the nine guys on the floor are going to be. He's gaining confidence on offense, and stepping up and making big shots. We don't want him to hesitate a lick."
Chris Payton rounded out the double-figure scoring for the Warriors with 11 points in addition to seven rebounds. Levar Williams added nine for IHCC, now 11-2 on the season.
Southeastern was led by Jesiah West's 14 points. Zurabi Zhgenti and Milton each had 12 while Bruce Carpenter added 10 for the Blackhawks (9-5).
Indian Hills will travel to Iowa Falls Saturday for a 3 p.m. date with struggling Ellsworth (1-12). The Panthers are riding a five-game skid since collecting their only win of the season on February 13 at Southwestern, a 73-55 ECC victory.
IHCC fans will recall that the Warriors were unable to get a win in Creston against Southwestern to start the season which should serve as a reminder that no one is infallible in this most unusual season.
"I'm going to worry about every game moving forward," Plona admitted. "After losing to Southwestern to start the year, I heard things like we shouldn't lose any games all year. This isn't as easy as we try to make it look. I've said it a lot. There's lots of good coaches in this league and teams get better and adjust. We'll have to be ready."