Ottumwa, IA – A career-night on the hardwood led to Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Athlete of the Week honors for Indian Hills Men's Basketball sophomore Braden Sparks. Sparks and the Warriors captured the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 11 Championship Saturday night at the Hellyer Center.
With a ticket to the NJCAA North Central District Championship on the line, Sparks powered the Warriors to a 76-68 win over visiting Southeastern Community College to lead Indian Hills to its 20th Region title in program history. The win pushed the Warriors into the upcoming NJCAA North Central District Championship Saturday night with a chance to earn an automatic bid to the 2024 NJCAA National Tournament.
Sparks starred on the court with a career-high 27 points on an efficient shooting night from all spots on the floor. The sophomore went 8-11, including 3-4 from three-point range to lead all scorers. Sparks also boasted a perfect 8-8 effort at the free throw line.
Sparks impacted the game in all facets on Saturday night, contributing five rebounds and a pair of steals as the Warriors knocked off Southeastern for the third time this season.
Sparks becomes the sixth different individual to capture ICCAC Athlete of the Week honors for the Warriors this season.
On the year, Sparks is averaging 11.1 points per game while shooting 43.6 percent from three-point range, the top mark in the ICCAC this year.
The Warriors will now host the NJCAA North Central District Championship Saturday night at the Hellyer Center against North Dakota State College of Science. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NJCAA National Tournament, which gets underway March 24 in Hutchinson, KS.
HOW TO WATCH
As always, GoHillsTV provides free live broadcasts of Indian Hills men's basketball games, both home and on the road. Fans can tune in a number of ways all season long:
- 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!
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