West Burlington, IA – The story could not have been scripted any better. A showdown of two nationally ranked rivals with postseason implications on the line – No. 12 Indian Hills Men's Basketball and No. 7 Southeastern Community College put on a show for the ages as Braxton Bayless (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny) sank a 30-foot buzzer-beater to give Indian Hills a 67-66 victory on the road.
In the 136th all-time matchup between the two Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) foes, Bayless cemented his name in the archives of the historic rivalry. Trailing by two with 3.7 seconds to play, sophomore J'Vonne Hadley (St. Paul, MN/Northeastern) rebounded a missed Blackhawk free throw and fired an outlet pass to a streaking Bayless down the right side. In front of the Warrior bench and an emphatic Indian Hills crowd, Bayless banked home a running 30-foot shot in one of the most dramatic finishes in series history.
Bayless finished the night with 14 points, a season-high nine rebounds, and a shot that will be talked about for years to come. Bayless, the team's leading free throw shooter on the year, went 9-10 at the line for the Warriors.
Hadley, the three-time reigning ICCAC Athlete of the Week and the Indian Hills January Student-Athlete of the Month, put together another stellar performance with his third double-double of the year. Hadley scored a team-high 17 points to go along with 11 rebounds and three assists, including the game-winning pass to Bayless.
Taj Anderson (Queens, NY/Quality Education) added 12 points and six rebounds. The sophomore guard has scored in double-digits in all four matchups with the Blackhawks throughout his career. Enoch Kalambay (Gatineau, Canada/Orangeville Prep) came off the bench to score 10 for the Warriors on 4-5 shooting from the floor.
In front of a packed house at the Loren Walker Arena, Saturday's game had all the makings for a thrilling night. Indian Hills entered the night with the third-ranked defense in the nation and proved its worth early on, holding the Blackhawks without a field goal for the first 7:11 of the contest to take a 13-5 advantage. The Blackhawks battled back with a series of three-point shots and eventually took a 25-23 lead. Hadley reached double-digits with less than a minute remaining in the first half to lift the Warriors to a 31-29 halftime advantage.
The two sides traded blows throughout the early goings of the second half, exchanging ties and leads along the way. The Blackhawks broke free late in the second half, again finding success from three-point range as Southeastern grabbed its largest lead of the night 57-50 with under four to play.
With the Warriors still behind, Bayless beat the defense and converted a lay-in to pull the Warriors within three, 61-58. After a trio of Southeastern free throws, Anderson found space from 25-feet and buried a three-point shot to pull the Warriors back within three, 64-61.
In the closing seconds, the Warriors went 3-4 from the charity stripe while the Blackhawks converted two of three to set the stage for the dramatic finish. Southeastern's Bruce Carpenter missed the back-end of a pair of free throws as Hadley corralled the loose ball. The sophomore took a pair of dribbles before hitting Bayless in stride for the eventual game-winner.
Saturday's game was the eighth matchup between the two teams decided by one point, and first since a Southeastern 73-72 victory on Feb. 16, 2019.
The Warriors, who rank third nationally with a 35.4 percent opponent's field goal percentage, held the Blackhawks to 36.4 percent shooting on the night. Indian Hills won the rebounding battle with a 40-32 edge.
The win gives the Warriors a 3-1 league record, with its lone loss coming to Southeastern on Jan. 8. The Blackhawks, who sit at 2-1 in league play, has one conference game remaining against Marshalltown. Should the two teams tie to close out the regular season, the tiebreaker will come down to
The Warriors return to action Monday night at home against Carl Sandburg College (IL) at 7:00 PM. The game was a late addition to the Warriors' schedule and replaces the previously cancelled DMACC contest. Fans can purchase tickets here: TICKETS VS. CARL SANDBURG or can view the game on GoHillsTV