Ottumwa, IA – Top-ranked Indian Hills Men's Basketball held off Kankakee Community College (IL) Saturday afternoon at the Hellyer Center 75-72 to run its overall record to 13-0 to open up the year. The Warriors improve to 11-0 all-time vs. the Cavaliers.

 

In a tightly contested battle throughout a majority of the second half, the Warriors prevailed down the stretch to remain one of nine unbeaten teams in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) ranks. Sophomore Don McHenry (Milwaukee, IA/Hawaii-Hilo) led the way for the No. 1 nationally ranked Warriors with 17 points.

 

Less than 24 hours removed from a hard-fought victory over Sauk Valley Community College (IL) at the Hellyer Center on Friday night, the Warriors returned to action on Saturday for the afternoon affair. McHenry posted back-to-back three-point shots to spark an 8-2 run to open the contest, but the Cavaliers battled back and eventually took the lead. An 8-0 run from the Warriors late in the opening half put the home team back on top 29-21, but the Warriors saw the lead dwindle to just three, 35-32 at the halftime intermission.

 

Both sides used brief runs to open up the second half which led to a 39-all tie at the 17:08 mark. The remainder of the second half did not see a lead greater than four as the cross-state foes exchanged baskets down the stretch. The Cavaliers managed to take a 69-66 lead with 2:31 to play, but the Warriors scored the next seven, capped by a three-point shot from Eddiean Tirado (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Miami Triple Threat). Ryan Meyers (Brooklyn, NY/Iona) sunk a pair of free throws in the closing seconds and the Warriors held on for the home court victory.

In a fairly clean contest, the two sides combined for just 16 turnovers on the day while both squads managed to shoot above 42 percent from the floor and over 45 percent from three-point range. The key difference proved to be the Warriors' 42-32 rebounding advantage.

Making his fourth start in five contests, sophomore David Jones (Sacramento, CA/Panola) grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds while sophomore guard Truth Harris (Mount Vernon, NY/Pensacola) came off the bench to add six rebounds and seven points. Sophomore Enoch Kalambay (Gatineau, Canada/Orangeville Prep) added six rebounds and 10 points for the Warriors.

 

Tirado tallied his second consecutive double-digit scoring performance as the sophomore scored 12 points on 4-6 shooting from three-point range. Trevion LeBeaux (Waterloo, IA/Ames) went 4-6 from the floor to finish with 10 points while adding five rebounds.

 

The Warriors return to action on Friday, December 9 for the two-day Hy-Vee Classic at the Hellyer Center. The Warriors will take on Lake Region State College (ND) on December 9 before matching up with Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College on December 10. Both games are set for a 7:00 PM tip-off. 

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