Henderson's Heroics Lift Penn Valley to OT Win Over IHCC

Marshalltown, IA -- Indian Hills let a 12-point lead slip away in the final five minutes of the second half and Penn Valley completed the comeback with a 76-71 overtime win over the Warriors in the Emerson JUCO Challenge on Sunday night.

Penn Valley's Justin Henderson got his team into overtime by making three straight free throws after he was fouled on a three-point try with 7.6 seconds left in regulation. Henderson then put the finishing touches on a 36-point effort by drilling a long three-pointer to start the scoring in overtime and adding a foul-line jumper after the Warriors had cut the PV lead to one.

That basket by IHCC's Larry Stone that made the score 71-70 was the only field goal the Warriors could muster in the five-minute overtime. Their only other point was a free throw by Stone with 31.9 seconds to play.

The free throw by Stone put the score at 73-71. Penn Valley hit a free throw and then got a steal and clinching layup in the final seconds as the Warriors saw a six-game winning streak come to an end.

Penn Valley's comeback from a 61-49 deficit with around four minutes to play was helped greatly by poor free throw shooting by the Warriors. Indian Hills was 4-for-8 at the foul line in the final minute of regulation and made only 20 of 37 at the line for the game.

Both teams struggled to find any consistency in the first half. Indian Hills was able to put together a 10-2 run late in the half and took a five-point halftime lead.

Indian Hills and Penn Valley traded the lead near the midpoint of the second half before a 19-7 run gave the Warriors a 12-point cushion. Dijon Farr had eight of his team-high 14 points for IHCC in that stretch.

Five points by Nathan Taylor helped PV come back from the 12-point deficit. With the Warriors leading 66-65 after a Penn Valley basket by Anthony May, his only points of the game, with under a minute to play, Aaron Austin hit one of two free throws to make it a two-point game.

Penn Valley missed a three-pointer that would have given them the lead and Dwan McMillan rebounded for the Warriors and was fouled. But the sophomore made only one of two free throws with 12.9 seconds remaining to leave the door open for Penn Valley to tie the game on Henderson's three foul shots.

Indian Hills reaches the midway mark of the regular season with an 11-4 record. The Warriors have one more game before Christmas, a home contest against Southwestern CC on Wednesday night.

PENN VALLEY 76, INDIAN HILLS 71

INDIAN HILLS Dwan McMillan 2 4-8 8, Aaron Austin 2 2-5 6, Brandon Garrett 2 1-2 5, Bruno Ferreira 3 4-4 10, Chano Rashiduddin 0 0-0 0, Derrick Hill 2 0-0 4, Dijon Farr 5 4-5 14, Larry Stone 4 3-7 12, Brian Wilson 1 0-2 2, E.J. Hicks 0 1-2 1, Alex Vouyoukas 1 0-0 2, Chad Dillard 3 1-2 7 Team 25 20-37 71

PENN VALLEY Justin Henderson 11 11-14 36, Dwayne Hamiel 8 1-3 19, James Wing 1 3-6 5, Anthony May 1 0-0 2, Nathan Taylor 3 3-5 10, Ladon Champagnie 0 0-0 0, Michael Ashley 0 0-0 0, Lorenzo Dean 0 1-2 1, Breon White 0 1-3 1 Team 25 20-33 76

Halftime score: Indian Hills 28, Penn Valley 23; Score at end of regulation: Indian Hills 68, Penn Valley 68; Three-point field goals: IHCC 1 (Stone 1), PVCC 6 (Henderson 3, Hamiel 2, Taylor 1)