Hutchinson, KS – In one of the most historic comebacks in National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men's Basketball National Tournament history, the Indian Hills Men's Basketball squad erased a 15-point deficit to defeat Odessa College (TX) 79-75 and advance to the final four.
Indian Hills advances to the semifinal round for the first time since 2014 where the Warriors placed second overall. The sixth-seeded Warriors will take on a familiar opponent in No.7 seed Northwest Florida State College who knocked off No. 15 seed Vincennes University (IN) on Friday.
Sophomore Enoch Kalambay (Gatineau, Canada/Orangeville Prep) served as the offensive catalyst for the Warriors with a career-high 31 points, including 18 in the second half and overtime. Indian Hills saw key performances from reserves RJ Ogom (Chicago, IL/Fort Wayne) who poured in 12 points and Davontae Hall (Chicago, IL/Hyde Park) who added five points and seven rebounds.
The Warriors, who trailed for a majority of the game, faced a 61-46 deficit with 5:53 remaining in the contest. Facing elimination from the tournament, the Warrior offense sparked a 14-0 run while holding the Wranglers scoreless for the next 4:52 to pull within one, 61-60. Odessa maintained the lead until a Kalambay dunk with 11 seconds to go in regulation tied the game at 66-all. A desperation three for the Wranglers at the buzzer fell short to force overtime.
A defensive battle ensued in a scoreless 2:15 to open overtime, but the surging Warriors struck first in the extra session as Ogom buried a three for a 69-66 edge. Hall and Ogom added a pair of buckets to offset a Wrangler three as the Warriors extended the advantage to 73-68. Odessa pulled within three, but the Warriors went 6-6 at the free throw line over the final 27 seconds to seal the remarkable comeback victory.
Kalambay finished the contest 11-17 from the floor, including 5-7 from three-point range and 4-5 at the charity stripe. The sophomore added six rebounds and three assists in the win.
Kalambay's 31 points in a national tournament game are the most for an Indian Hills player since Dwight Hardy scored 36 in the 2008 national tournament against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. In three career national tournament games, Kalambay is averaging 20.3 points per game while shooting 57.5 percent from the floor.
Hall, who recorded just 30 minutes of court action over the team's last three games, provided 31 minutes on Thursday night in one of the biggest performances of the freshman's collegiate career. Hall tallied two late-game offensive rebounds that led to five second-chance points. The guard added three assists and a steal to fill the stat sheet.
Ogom, who missed the previous three games before the national tournament due to an injury, returned Wednesday night vs. Ranger but made his biggest impact against Odessa Thursday night with five crucial points in overtime.
Hall, Ogom, and Kalambay combined to score all 13 points for the Warriors in the extra session to carry Indian Hills to the win.
Big time board from Davontae Hall leads to the and-1��
— Indian Hills Basketball (@ihccbasketball) March 24, 2023
We've got a ballgame at @hutchtourney!#WarriorNation pic.twitter.com/WhhxPgmf3q
Sophomore Ryan Myers (Brooklyn, NY/Iona) added 10 points and freshman Trevion LaBeaux (Waterloo, IA/Ames) led all players with eight rebounds and added eight points off the bench.
After shooting just 28.6 percent form the floor in the first half, the Warriors responded to shoot 50.0 percent (16-32) in the second half to ignite the comeback. The Indian Hills defense limited the Wranglers to just 13.8 percent (4-29) three-point shooting on the night.
Indian Hills improves to 9-1 vs. teams from the state of Texas at the national tournament and are now 3-0 all-time vs. Odessa. The Warriors previously defeated the Wranglers at the Hutchinson Sports Arena in 1997 and 1993. The Warriors are now 3-1 all-time in overtime games at the national tournament.
Indian Hills will now turn its attention to the Raiders of Northwest Florida State, a team the Warriors beat at the Hellyer Center on November 16 in a matchup of the No. 1 vs. No. 2 ranked teams in the nation at the team. The Warriors with a 108-99 victory, tied for Indian Hills' most points in a game this year.
Northwest Florida State, the defending national champions, defeated No. 10 Butler 71-59 before upending Vincennes 68-55 to advance to the final four. On the other side of the bracket sits No. 1 seed John A. Logan (IL) and No. 12 Tallahassee Community College (FL).
Tip-off for the Warriors and Raiders is set for 7:00 PM from the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
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NEVER. SAY. DIE. – No. 6-seed @ihccbasketball will play in Friday's National Semifinals as the Warriors defeated No. 3-seed @odessambb, 79-75 in overtime tonight at the NJCAA D-1 Men's National Tournament in Hutchinson, KS.#WeAreWarriors #WarriorNation @HutchTourney pic.twitter.com/ArKrTm6fvb
— IHCC Athletics (@IHCCAthletics) March 24, 2023
