Scottsbluff, Nebraska -- Indian Hills was able to erase the disappoint of the previous night's loss to Western Nebraska in the Warriors' 81-60 victory against Trinidad State on Saturday afternoon. The game started less than 24 hours after IHCC saw a double-digit second-half lead slip away in an overtime loss to the host school for the weekend classic.
Against Trinidad State, who brought an 8-game winning streak into action, Indian Hills overcame a sluggish start that saw them trail, 14-6, after a 10-2 run by the Trojans in the opening six minutes. The Warriors used a 13-0 burst to take control of the game and gain a split of their two games in the WNCC Thanksgiving tourney.
Down 19-14, IHCC's Josh Nicholas came off the bench and sparked the offense. Nicholas drove down the lane for the dunk the first time he touched the ball, then drained a 3-pointer and completed a three-point play later in the half. He added three second-half free throws for a season-high 11-point output.
JD Muila's layup tied the score at 19 and Tomas Woldetensae drilled back-to-back threes to give IHCC a lead it never relinquished. Muila scored again to complete the 13-0 run that ended when Trinidad State's Keontae White made his third 3-pointer of the half. Nicholas came right back with his 3-point play and, by halftime, the Warriors were up 40-30.
A Woldetensae bucket started the second-half scoring, a half in which Nick Wagner's shot from distance was the only made three for IHCC. They had eight for the contest, only the second time in eight games they failed to connect on at least 10.
Woldetensae paced Indian Hills' scoring with 15. Bilal Shabazz led TSJC with 17.
After attempting only three free throws in the first period, IHCC hit 16-of-22 after halftime. The Warriors had a large margin in rebounds, 57-40, led by Muila's 11 boards and nine from Torrey Patton.
Indian Hills now gets set for a big weekend when they host the Reed Overhead Doors Classic at the Hellyer Center. They'll take on number-three Southern Idaho on Friday night and top-rated Northwest Florida State Saturday.
INDIAN HILLS 81, TRINIDAD STATE 60
INDIAN HILLS (6-2)
Devontae Lane 2 0-1 4, Lance Singh 2 2-2 7, Billy Thomas 0 0-2 0, Iziah James 1 3-4 5, Nick Wagner 2 0-0 6, Tyon Grant-Foster 0 4-4 4, Tomas Woldetensae 5 2-2 15, Josh Nicholas 3 4-5 11, JD Muila 4 1-2 9, Anthony Bratton 4 0-0 8, Tyler Chisom 2 1-1 5, Torrey Patton 2 2-2 7 Team 27 19-25 81
TRINIDAD STATE (8-2)
Ian Kelly 5 1-3 11, Keontae White 4 3-4 14, Bilal Shabazz 7 1-2 17, David Muenkat 2 0-3 4, Goy Wang 1 2-2 4, Isaac Essein 2 0-0 5, Sidney Okeke 0 0-2 0, Jasiah Lewis 1 0-0 3 Team 23 7-17 60
Halftime score: Indian Hills 40, Trinidad State 30; Three-point field goals: IHCC 8 (Woldetensae 3, Wagner 2, Singh 1, Nicholas 1, Patton 1); TSJC 7 (White 3, Shabazz 2, Essein 1, Lewis 1)