Ottumwa, IA – There may be no bigger game in the nation, at any level of college basketball than Wednesday night's matchup at the historic Hellyer Center on the campus of Indian Hills Community College. No. 2 Indian Hills will play host to No. 1 nationally ranked Northwest Florida State College at 7:00 PM.
DETAILS: No. 2 Indian Hills vs. No. 1 Northwest Florida State
Wednesday, November 16 | 7:00 PM
Hellyer Center | Ottumwa, IA
WATCH LIVE: GoHillsTV
LIVE STATS: Indian Hills vs. Northwest Florida State
TICKETS: Buy Online
A pair of undefeated perennial national contenders that sit atop the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men's Basketball Poll will square off as Indian Hills (6-0) and Northwest Florida State (6-0) will meet at 7:00 PM in Ottumwa.
The Warriors are led by head Coach Hank Plona in his eighth season at the helm while the Raiders are guided by head coach Steve DeMeo in his seventh season overall in Niceville, FL.
A CAN'T MISS GAME
For just the second time in the history of the Hellyer Center, the two top ranked teams in the nation will square off. A then-No. 1 nationally ranked Indian Hills played host to No. 2 Chipola College (FL) on November 3, 2008 where the Warriors fell to the visitors in a thrilling 62-61 matchup.
Wednesday night's contest will feature two teams that combine for six NJCAA National Championships and 29 national tournament appearances. The Raiders have won two of its three national titles in the last nine seasons, including last year's national championship.
The Hellyer Center has been home to a number of historic matchups over the years, and Wednesday night's contest will be sure to find a spot on that list.
WARRIORS TO WATCH
The Warriors are off to a 6-0 start thanks to strong play of a number of individuals on both the offensive and defensive fronts.
- Sophomore Don McHenry (Milwaukee, WI/Hawaii-Hilo) leads the way with a team-high 12.8 points on the year, including a pair of 20-point efforts on the year.
- Sophomore Enoch Kalambay (Gatineau, Canada/Orangeville Prep) has been a force in his second season for the Warriors. Kalambay is averaging 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds.
- Truth Harris (Mount Vernon, NY/Pensacola) leads the Warriors in both assists (3.5) and steals (1.5) while averaging 9.2 points per contest.
- Sophomores Lado Laku (Dallas, TX/Cal State Fullerton) and David Jones (Sacramento, CA/Panola) have made their presence felt in the paint, averaging nearly 4.0 blocks per game between the two.
RAIDERS TO WATCH
- The Raiders return just one member from last year's national championship team in Jaylon McDaniel who has started three games this season for the Raiders.
- Kasean Pryor has started all six games and is averaging 15.8 points per contest while shooting 85.3 percent from the line. Pryor also leads the Raiders with 7.8 rebounds per contest.
- Tavion Banks is averaging 7.0 rebounds and 7.3 points per game coming off the bench for the Raiders.
- Collin Warren (14.7ppg), Takai Simpkins (14.2ppg), and Taryn Todd (11.0ppg) are all averaging double-digits through six games this year.
SERIES HISTORY
The two national powerhouse programs have squared off four times, all coming since the 2013-14 season:
- November 30, 2013 – Niceville, FL | #2 IHCC 89, #10 NWF 88 (OT)
- Marcus Posley buried a three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to knock off the No. 10 nationally ranked Raiders. The win lifted Indian Hills to the No. 1 spot in the national poll as Indian Hills made a run to the 2013-14 NJCAA DI Men's Basketball title game.
- December 1, 2018 – Ottumwa, IA | #1 NWF 86, #12 IHCC 72
- Indian Hills held an early lead, but Javion Hamlet's 26 points were too much to overcome as the Raiders earned its first-ever win at Hellyer. Tomas Woldetensae led the way with 16 points for Indian Hills
- November 22, 2019 – Niceville, FL | #18 NWF 65, # 3 IHCC 64
- The Warriors suffered their second consecutive one-point loss in an as many games as a last second shot rolled off the rim for Indian Hills. Tyon Grant-Foster led the Warriors with 16 points and seven boards.
- March 15, 2022 – Hutchinson, KS | #11 NWF 65, #6 IHCC 64
- In the team's first-ever meeting in the national tournament, it was Northwest Florida once again that earned a one-point victory as the Raiders went on to win the national title. Enoch Kalambay put up a team-high 19 points.
37 YEARS AGO TODAY…
37 years ago today, the first-ever Indian Hills Men's Basketball game was played at the Hellyer Center as the Warriors took on Central Christian College on Moberly, MO November 16, 1985. The Warriors rolled in the matchup with a 101-55 victory led by Greg Lerdal's 18 points and 19 rebounds.
WHAT'S NEXT
After three games in four days last week, Wednesday night's matchup vs. Northwest Florida is a part of three games in four days at home for the Warriors. Indian Hills will host the Reed Overhead Doors Classic this weekend on Friday and Saturday. Indian Hills will host McCook Community College at 7:00 PM on Friday and Missouri State University-West Plains at 7:00 PM on Saturday.
Fans can purchase tickets in advance to Wendesday's matchup here: INDIAN HILLS MEN'S BASKETBALL TICKETS
As always, GoHillsTV provides free live broadcasts of Indian Hills sporting events, both home and on the road. Fans can tune in a number of ways to Wednesday's matchup:
- Facebook: visit www.facebook.com/gohillstv
- GoHillsTV App: Download the GoHillsTV app on your android or ios device
- Website: https://www.gohillstv.com/browse to catch all live and archived information
- Roku Streaming Device (new): Have a Roku TV or streaming stick? Download the GoHillsTV app to start streaming today!
Looking for Indian Hills Athletics information straight to your inbox? Subscribe to our newsletter and mobile alerts to receive news, scores, highlights, and more in real-time: INDIAN HILLS ATHLETICS NEWSLETTER