Ottumwa, IA – No. 13 Indian Hills Men's Basketball used a first half surge to run past visiting Sauk Valley Community College (IL) at the Hellyer Center on Thursday night. The Warriors picked up a 92-77 nonconference win, the team's sixth consecutive victory.
Three players went for at least 20 points in the win led by Davontae Hall (Chicago, IL/Hyde Park) who tied a career-high with 22 points. Kheni Briggs (Kannapolis, NC/Charleston Southern) came off the bench to score 21 points with five three-point shots made while TJ Morris (Queens, NY/Northeastern Oklahoma A&M) added 20 points. Trevion LaBeaux (Waterloo, IA/Ames) chipped in 11 points and Braden Sparks (Villa Rica, GA/Mercer) scored 10 for the Warriors.
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— Indian Hills Basketball (@ihccbasketball) February 22, 2024
Trailing 24-23 with 6:39 to play in the first half, the Warriors put together a dominant stretch that sparked the home crowd at the Hellyer Center. Briggs, Hall, and Morris combined for 25 points over the final six minutes of play to lift the Warriors to 50-32 halftime lead. The Skyhawks never pulled back within single digits as Indian Hills improved to 22-5 overall on the year.
The Warriors connected on 12 three-point shots on the night as Hall added four for the Warriors. The 12 three's are tied for the most in a single game this season. Indian Hills also posted a perfect shooting percentage from the free throw line, going 12-12 at the stripe.
Along with Morris' stellar offensive night, the sophomore added a team and season-high nine rebounds with two assists, two steals, and two blocked shots.
As a team, the Warriors committed a season-low five turnovers in the victory. Indian Hills has now reduced its total turnovers in each of the last three contests, including back-to-back games with single digits. The Warrior offense also contributed 15 assists on the night, led by a team-high five from Hall.
Wednesday night's contest avenged a loss to the Skyhawks from earlier in the season where the Warriors fell in Dixon, IL on January 11. Indian Hills improves to 5-1 all-time vs. Sauk Valley.
Next up for the Warriors is the team's Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) finale against Southeastern Community College with a 7:00 PM date on Saturday night at the Hellyer Center. The Warriors enter the contest with a 3-0 league record while the Blackhawks sit at 1-1 in conference action.
