Monday, November 29, 2010

Wire-to-Wire Win For Warriors

Scottsbluff, Neb. -- Plagued by slow starts in recent games on the road, the Indian Hills Warriors fashioned an early 10-0 run into a 78-67 win over Western Nebraska on the Cougars' home court on Saturday night in the final game of WNCC Thanksgiving Classic.

The closest that the Cougars got after spotting IHCC the early 10-point lead was five points on two occasions, one in each half. Western Nebraska scored the final four points of the first half to get to within 39-30 at intermission, then tallied the first four points of the second half to pull to within five.

Jerome Jones hit a three for the Warriors to help them regain some momentum and Jones followed with back-to-back field goals to push the lead back to nine and the Warriors were never in trouble after that.

Jones' three was one of 11 on the night for Indian Hills. Gary Ricks, who had only seven points in the previous two games in the tournament, poured in 20 to lead the Warriors. He had five 3's.

The Warriors' lead ballooned to a game-high 19 points after a Chad Dillard three-pointer.

By the time IHCC made their 11th three-pointer, Western Nebraska still hadn't made a shot from behind the arc. The Cougars wound up with three.

Indian Hills made 54.5% of their shots, and exactly half of their three-point attempts.

Dillard had 12 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds.

After playing its last six games on the road, the Warriors, now 10-2, will host Milwaukee Area Tech next Friday night at the Hellyer Center.

INDIAN HILLS 78, WESTERN NEBRASKA 67

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 3 2-3 8, Jerome Jones 6 2-2 15, Dijon Farr 3 2-2 8, Kelvyn Valdez 0 0-2 0, Trey Starks 0 2-2 2, Bruno Ferreira 1 3-4 5, Riley Stuve 0 2-2 2, Chad Dillard 3 3-6 12, Gary Ricks 6 3-5 20, Latroy Taylor 2 0-0 4, Giovanni Smith 0 0-0 0, D.J. Bennett 0 0-0 0 Team 24 19-28 78

WESTERN NEBRASKA Mike Peltz 1 4 -6 6, Justin Standley 5 2-2 14, Hauns Brereton 4 4-5 12, Marko Kovacevic 4 0-2 8, Justin Omugun 3 2-4 8, Joe Stock 2 0-0 5, Aamir Kelliehan 2 0-0 4, Aaron Turner 4 0-0 8, Brady Mason 0 0-0 0, Stephen Shepherd 1 0-0 2 Team 26 12-19 67

Halftime score: Indian Hills 39, Western Nebraska 30; Three-point field goals: IHCC 11 (Ricks 5, Dillard 3, Farr 2, Jones 1), WNCC 3 (Standley 2, Stock 1)

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Warriors Falter Late, Fall to Williston State

Scottsbluff, Neb. -- Indian Hills failed to hold onto a late 10-point lead and Williston State (ND) College stormed from behind for a 63-62 victory over the Warriors on Friday night in the Western Nebraska Thanksgiving Classic.

Williston's Blake Nash hit a jump shot with 10.4 seconds to play to give the Tetons the one-point advantage. IHCC's Dijon Farr was fouled with 2.7 seconds remaining and went to the line with a chance to tie the score or give IHCC the lead. But he missed the front end of the one-and-one and neither team could control the rebound before the buzzer sounded.

Indian Hills made up a five-point halftime deficit with a 10-0 run in the second half. Their lead would eventually grow to a dozen points when Chad Dillard nailed a three-pointer to make the score 56-44. After seven unanswered points by Williston State, Farr scored off a nice pass from Trey Starks and then hit a three to build the lead back to ten with 4:15 remaining.

But the Warriors wouldn't score again from the field. Their lone point the rest of the game came on a Stephen Coles free throw, that made the score 62-56.

WSC's Derek Detrick scored inside and Nick Markovich drilled his third 3-pointer of the second half to shave the IHCC lead to one with under a minute to play and set the stage for the Tetons game-winning possession.

Indian Hills' cause was hurt by 18 turnovers and 11-of-21 free-throw shooting.

Nash had 18 points to lead all scorers. Farr and Jerome Jones had 16 each for IHCC.

The Warriors wrap up their trip to Nebraska with a contest against the host school, Western Nebraska, on Saturday night.

WILLISTON STATE 63, INDIAN HILLS 62

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 5 1-2 11, Jerome Jones 6 3-5 16, Dijon Farr 6 2-4 16, Trey Starks 0 2-4 2, Bruno Ferreira 0 0-0 0, Riley Stuve 1 0-0 3, Chad Dillard 3 2-2 10, Gary Ricks 1 0-0 3, Latroy Taylor 0 1-4 1, Giovanni Smith 0 0-0 0, D.J. Bennett 0 0-0 0 Team 22 11-21 62

WILLISTON STATE Thaddeus Perry 2 0-0 4, Derik Harvey 1 0-0 2, Blake Nash 7 0-0 18, Derek Detrick 6 0-0 12, Terrance Motley 1 2-4 4, Marc Price 0 3-4 3, Nick Markovich 3 0-0 9, Pierre Nakada 0 0-0 0, Moriba Debreitas 2 0-1 4, Charles Ward 3 0-2 7 Team 25 5-11 63

Halftime score: Williston State 35, Indian Hills 30; Three-point field goals: IHCC 7 (Dillard 2, Farr 2, Jones 1, Stuve 1, Ricks 1), WSC 8 (Nash 4, Markovich 3, Ward 1)

Friday, November 26, 2010

IHCC Wins Tourney Opener

Scottsbluff, Neb. -- Indian Hills pulled away from a two-point lead early in the second half and went on to defeat Eastern Wyoming College, 68-62, in a first-round game in the Western Nebraska Thanksgiving Classic on Thursday night.

Matt Rosenbaum brought EWC to within two at 37-35 with a three-pointer early in the second half, but the Warriors (9-1) responded by outscoring the Lancers 23-11 over the next seven minutes to open up their largest lead of the night, 14 points. EWC got to within five points with just under a minute to play, but Jerome Jones helped IHCC hold off Eastern with four free throws in the final 54 seconds.

Jones had a season-high 16 points to pace Indian Hills. Trey Starks had 13, all but two of them in the second half. Rosenbaum and Jordan Johnson each had 15 for the Lancers.

Indian Hills will take on Williston State (ND) College on Friday night.

INDIAN HILLS 68, EASTERN WYOMING 62

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 3 0-1 6, Jerome Jones 4 8-12 16, Dijon Farr 4 2-5 11, Trey Starks 4 5-5 13, Bruno Ferreira 0 2-2 2, Riley Stuve 1 2-2 4, Chad Dillard 3 0-0 7, Gary Ricks 2 0-0 4, Latroy Taylor 0 1-2 1, Giovanni Smith 1 1-2 4, D.J. Bennett 0 0-0 0 Team 22 21-31 68

EASTERN WYOMING Matt Rosembaum 5 4-4 15, Ivan Simic 2 1-2 5, Jarett Upchurch 3 2-2 9, Jordan Johnson 5 4-5 15, Zach Young 1 2-2 4, Chad Cottam 3 0-4 6, Corey Puckett 2 0-0 5, Mak Boskailo 1 0-1 3 Team 22 13-20 62

Halftime score: Indian Hills 34, Eastern Wyoming 24; Three-point field goals: IHCC 3 (Farr 1, Dillard 1, Smith 1); EWC 5 (Rosenbaum 1, Upchurch 1, Johnson 1, Puckett 1, Boskailo 1)

Monday, November 22, 2010

Warriors Rebound for Win in Missouri

Park Hills, MO -- The Indian Hills basketball team showed some resiliency on Saturday night, bouncing back from their first loss of the season the night before to take down Mineral Area College, 58-44, in MAC's tournament.

Indian Hills had three separate runs of seven or more points in the second half to break open a close game on the way to the Warriors' eighth win of the season.

The first run, a 10-0 spurt, gave the Warriors a 35-26 lead with 13:34 to play. After a Cardinals' field goal, Indian Hills scored eight straight points, all by Gary Ricks, on two 3-point field goals and a two-pointer. Following two MAC free throws, Indian Hills ran off seven points in a row, the last five by Chad Dillard, who scored a career-high 15 points.

A slam dunk by Jerome Jones gave the Warriors their largest lead at 58-36, before Mineral Area tallied the final eight points of the game.

Jones, like Dillard, also had his IHCC career-high with 15 points and Ricks added 13. Brier West was the lone player in double-figures for MAC with 10.

The Warriors are idle until playing three games in three days next weekend at a tournament in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

INDIAN HILLS 58, MINERAL AREA 44

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 1 0-4 2, Jerome Jones 7 0-0 15, Derrick Hill 0 0-0 0, Dijon Farr 4 0-0 9, Kelvyn Valdez 0 0-0 0, Bruno Ferreira 1 0-0 2, Riley Stuve 1 0-0 2, Chad Dillard 6 3-3 15, Gary Ricks 5 0-0 13, Latroy Taylor 0 0-0 0, Giovanni Smith 0 0-1 0, D.J. Bennett 0 0-0 0 Team 25 3-8 58

MINERAL AREA Darion Hooker 0 0-0 0, Riley Raulston 2 0-0 5, Demetrius Harris 1 4-5 6, Drew Thomas 1 0-0 2, Josh Minner 4 0-0 8, DeAndre Ballard 1 0-2 2, Derrius Walker 0 0-0 0, Brier West 4 0-0 10, Greg Gibson 1 0-0 2, Errol Isom 0 0-0 0, Vakhtang Kadaria 3 0-0 6, Corrion Johnson 1 1-2 3, Leland Smith 0 0-0 0 Team 18 5-9 44

Halftime score: Indian Hills 25, Mineral Area 22; Three-point field goals: IHCC 5 (Ricks 3, Jones 1, Farr 1), MAC 3 (West 2, Raulston 1)

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Three Rivers Hands Warriors Their First Loss

Park Hills, MO -- On Tuesday night, in its first road game of the season, Indian Hills was able to overcome a slow start to rally and defeat Kirkwood CC. The Warriors weren't as fortunate this time around, as No. 22-ranked Three Rivers CC jumped to an 8-0 lead and never lost the advantage in a 62-57 win over 11th-ranked IHCC on Friday night in the Bob Sechrest Classic.

After the early deficit, the Warriors fought back behind Gary Ricks' 11 first-half points. A basket just before the halftime buzzer by Kelvyn Valdez brought the Warriors to within four points, 30-26, at intermission.

The Three Rivers' lead was never more than seven points in the second half, but the Raiders didn't allow Indian Hills to get even. The Warriors were within two points after the first bucket of the second half and, again, about midway through the half, but couldn't make a key defensive stop when they needed to.

Dijon Farr's layup with 49.8 seconds to play pulled IHCC within three at 60-57, but the Warriors didn't score again. They missed two shots and committed a turnover while Three Rivers was missing four straight free throws. Finally, Hunter Gibson made two foul shots for the Raiders to provide the final margin.

Ricks was the lone Indian Hills player in double figures with 20. Rudy Harrell led Three Rivers with 15.

Indian Hills will try to bounce back against tournament host Mineral Area College on Saturday night.

THREE RIVERS 62, INDIAN HILLS 57

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 1 2-2 4, Jerome Jones 3 0-0 7, Derrick Hill 0 1-2 1, Dijon Farr 3 3-6 9, Kelvyn Valdez 3 0-2 6, Bruno Ferreira 0 0-0 0, Chad Dillard 3 1-2 7, Gary Ricks 7 1-2 20, Latroy Taylor 0 0-0 0, D.J. Bennett 1 1-1 3 Team 21 9-18 57

THREE RIVERS Terrance Glass 2 1-2 6, Rudy Harrell 6 3-6 15, Tarius Johnson 6 2-5 14, Jay Raulston 3 6-10 13, Hunter Gibson 0 2-2 2, Bryant Strozier 1 0-0 2, Antonio Gardner 1 1-3 3, Deonte Jones 2 0-0 5, Ivan Jurkovic 1 0-0 2 Team 22 15-28 62

Halftime score: Three Rivers 30, Indian Hills 26; Three-point field goals: IHCC 6 (Ricks 5, Jones 1), TRCC 3 (Glass 1, Raulston 1, Jones 1)

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Down But Not Out, Warriors Rally to Win

Cedar Rapids, IA -- Kirkwood CC led for 39:52 of Tuesday's game against Indian Hills at Johnson Hall. But IHCC led when it mattered most, when the final buzzer went off, and the visiting Warriors had escaped with a 59-57 win.

After IHCC's Trey Starks made two free throws with 17.9 seconds to play, Indian Hills, which trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half, had cut the Kirkwood lead to 57-56. Indian Hills then forced a Kirkwood turnover, Dijon Farr coming up with a loose ball at midcourt and feeding a wide-open Chad Dillard for the layup that proved to be the game-winner.

Kirkwood got the ball into their frontcourt, but lost the ball out of bounds at the baseline with 2.9 seconds remaining. Indian Hills inbounded the ball to Gary Ricks, Jr. who was fouled immediately. He made one of two free throws and a desperation shot by Kirkwood came up short and the Warriors could celebrate a come-from-behind win, their seventh in a row to start the season.

Playing on the road for the first time this season, the Warriors were overwhelmed at the start of the game. Kirkwood ran away to a 12-0 lead. By the time Jerome Jones scored the first IHCC points, the game was five minutes old.

Jones made two straight 3's later in the half to bring the Warriors to within five, but Kirkwood doubled that lead by halftime.

When Michael Weber nailed a 3-pointer eight minutes into the second half, the Eagles had their largest lead at 47-34. Farr started the IHCC rally with seven consecutive points on a three-point play, a pair of free throws and a layup.

The Warriors kept chipping away at the lead with a three-point play by Dillard and two Trey Startks' baskets around a layup by KCC's Louis Cox.

Ricks hit a three with under two minutes to play to bring the Warriors to within five at 57-52. Starks scored on a layup to make it a three-point game. When Kirkwood missed their third straight front end of a one-and-one, the Warriors rebounded and Starks was fouled with 17.9 seconds to play.

The freshman guard made both foul shots, setting the stage for the steal and Dillard's go-ahead bucket.

Indian Hills didn't attempt a free throw for the first 25 minutes of the game, yet outscored the Eagles from the line, 11-3.

Jones, Farr and Dillard all scored 11 points to lead IHCC. Jordan Gentry had 14 of his game-high 16 points in the first half for KCC. Brennan Cougill added 15.

Indian Hills will take their unbeaten record and new No. 11 national ranking to Park Hills, Missouri this weekend for a pair of games in a tournament hosted by Mineral Area College.

The Warriors will battle Three Rivers CC on Friday at 5:00 and the host Cardinals at 7:00 on Saturday.

INDIAN HILLS 59, KIRKWOOD 57

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 4 1-2 9, Jerome Jones 4 0-0 11, Derrick Hill 0 0-0 0, Dijon Farr 4 3-4 11, Kelvyn Valdez 0 0-0 0, Trey Starks 3 3-4 11, Bruno Ferreira 0 0-0 0, Chad Dillard 4 3-3 11, Gary Ricks, Jr. 3 1-2 8, Giovanni Smith 0 0-0 0, D.J. Bennett 0 0-0 0 Team 22 11-15 59

KIRKWOOD Richie Thompson 2 0-0 4, Preston Brunz 0 0-0 0, Michael Weber 2 0-1 5, Jordan Gentry 7 0-0 16, Louis Cox 1 0-1 2, D'Monte Hopkins 3 1-3 7, Alex Coleman 3 2-3 8, Brennan Cougill 7 0-1 15, Bryan Brown 0 0-0 0, Troy Peter 0 0-0 0 Team 25 3-9 57

Halftime score: Kirkwood 33, Indian Hills 23; Three-point field goals: IHCC 4 (Jones 3, Ricks 1), KCC 4 (Gentry 2, Weber 1, Cougill 1)

Monday, November 15, 2010

Stifling Defense Leads to 6th Win in a Row

Ottumwa -- Indian Hills held its second opponent in three nights to 22-percent field- goal shooting as the Warriors walloped John Wood CC, 70-31, at the Hellyer Center on Saturday night. It was the fewest points allowed by a Jeff Kidder-coached IHCC team in his six years at the college.

John Wood actually led 12-10 with about 11 minutes remaining in the first half. The Warriors then scored the next 17 points and ran away from there. Chad Dillard's three-point play gave IHCC the lead for good and five different players scored in the 17-0 run. Will Carr scored inside for John Wood, but it was the only points the Trail Blazers could muster over the final 11 minutes of the first half.

The Warriors quickly expanded the lead to 30 at the outset of the second half on a basket by Dijon Farr and back-to-back 3's by Trey Starks and Gary Ricks, Jr.

After hitting just two three-pointers in the opening half, the Warriors nailed six in the final 20 minutes. John Wood not only shot 22-percent for the game, but missed all 16 of their three-point attempts.

Starks led IHCC with 16 points and Ricks had 15. Antonio Landers had 12 to pace the Trail Blazers.

Indian Hills finished the first six games of the season, all at home, with a perfect 6-0 record. The Warriors now go on the road for their next six contests, starting with a game at Kirkwood CC on Tuesday night.

INDIAN HILLS 70, JOHN WOOD 31

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 1 0-0 2, Jerome Jones 2 0-0 6, Derrick Hill 1 0-0 2, Dijon Farr 2 0-0 5, Kelvyn Valdez 0 0-0 0, Trey Starks 5 5-6 16, Bruno Ferreira 1 0-1 2, Riley Stuve 1 2-2 5, Chad Dillard 3 4-5 10, Gary Ricks, Jr. 6 0-0 15, Giovanni Smith 0 0-0 0, D.J. Bennett 2 3-4 7 Team 24 14-18 70

JOHN WOOD Antonio Landers 5 2-2 12, Will Carr 3 0-0 6, Ryan Stuckman 1 0-0 2, Lawson Kirby 1 0-1 2, Henry Sidney 1 0-0 2, Regan Bruenger 1 3-4 5, Jamal Wolfe 1 0-0 2 Team 13 5-8 31

Halftime score: Indian Hills 36, John Wood 14; Three-point field goals: IHCC 8 (Ricks, Jr. 3, Jones 2, Farr 1, Starks 1, Stuve 1), JWCC 0

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Second-Half Rally Leads to Warrior Victory

Ottumwa -- Indian Hills used an early second-half run to take control and the Warriors went on to defeat Kennedy-King 75-64 in the Klyn Automotive Classic on Friday night.

Indian Hills overcame a slow start in the first half, but still trailed at halftime 24-23. IHCC scored the first six points after halftime to go ahead for good and a 19-8 run came in the first eight minutes of the second half, fueled by seven points from Trey Starks.

Kennedy-King cut the deficit to six points, but Starks made two free throws and then scored on a fast-break layup after a blocked shot by Dijon Farr to build the lead back to 10 midway through the second half. The lead was as large as 16 points after a tip-in by Stephen Coles.

Two big 3's by Gary Ricks, Jr. were part of a 19-point second-half for the freshman guard. Ricks made eight straight free throws in the second half and was 12-of-14 for the game. He led all scorers with 23 points.

The Warriors won on a night when their usually reliable three-point shooting failed them. They made only 2-of-11 from behind the arc, but made up for it with 19-of-22 free-throw shooting in the second half.

Farr had his best scoring night of the season with 19 for the Warriors. Demerius Smith matched that total to lead the Statesmen.

Indian Hills concludes play in the tournament on Saturday night against John Wood CC.

INDIAN HILLS 75, KENNEDY-KING 64

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 3 1-1 7, Jerome Jones 3 2-4 8, Derrick Hill 1 0-0 2, Dijon Farr 7 4-4 19, Kelvyn Valdez 0 0-0 0, Trey Starks 3 3-5 9, Bruno Ferreira 0 2-3, 2, Chad Dillard 2 1-1 5, Gary Ricks, Jr. 5 12-14 23 Team 24 25-32 75

KENNEDY-KING Brandon Caruthers 4 2-3 12, Demarko Nash 1 0-0 3, Camron Bailey 1 1-1 3, Jerrel Mayo 4 0-2 10, Demerius Smith 6 2-4 19, Pauldeairis Howard 0 0-0 0, Terron Ferrell 0 0-0 0, Trent Little John 3 3-4 9, Michael Zeigler 1 0-0 3, Kevin Batson 1 0-0 2, Codelro Means 2 0-0 4 Team 23 8-14 64

Halftime score: Kennedy-King 24, Indian Hills 23; Three-point field goals: IHCC 2 (Farr 1, Ricks 1), KKC 10 (Smith 5, Caruthers 2, Mayo 1, Nash 1, Zeigler 1)

Friday, November 12, 2010

Warriors Overcome Turnover Woes to Win

Ottumwa -- Usually when you commit 27 turnovers, it doesn't bode well for your chances. But Indian Hills was able to overcame its problems taking care of the basketball in an easy 74-37 win over Mid-Michigan CC on Thursday night at the Hellyer Center.

A big reason the turnovers weren't as damaging as they might have been is that the Warriors held the visitors to 22-percent field goal shooting while making 58-percent of their own field goal attempts. And they forced the Lakers into 24 turnovers of their own.

The game was tied at 3-all when IHCC made its first of many runs on the night -- an 8-0 spurt. The Warriors opened things up in the second half when Gary Ricks, Jr. hit three straight 3-pointers and Bruno Ferreira had eight of his team-high 14 points.

For the second straight game, IHCC shot over 50-percent from 3-point range, making 6-of-11. They also outrebounded Mid-Michigan 46-23 with Ferreira and Dijon Farr each grabbing nine boards.

Indian Hills heads into the weekend Kyln Automotive Classic with a 4-0 record. Mid-Michigan will also play in the tourney. Their record is 1-2.

INDIAN HILLS 74, MID-MICHIGAN 37

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 2 1-2 5, Jerome Jones 4 1-2 10, Derrick Hill 0 1-2 1, Dijon Farr 3 1-2 8, Kelvyn Valdez 0 1-2 1, Trey Starks 3 4-7 10, Bruno Ferreira 6 2-4 14, Riley Stuve 1 0-0 3, Chad Dillard 1 2-2 4, Gary Ricks, Jr. 4 2-2 13, Giovanni Smith 0 0-0 0, D.J. Bennett 2 1-2 5 Team 26 16-27 74

MID-MICHIGAN DeOndra Callahn 3 3-4 9, Vince Parker 2 0-0 5, Jake Blake 2 5-5 9, Trevor Wyman 1 1-2 4, Leonard Williams 0 0-0 0, Sheldon Lowman 0 0-0 0, Darnell Brown 1 0-2 2, John Barrett 0 0-0 0, De'Andre Ruffum 1 1-2 3, Kyle Gross 1 2-2 5, Tyrone Pride 0 0-2 0, Gerald Gandy 0 0-0 0, Tony Larkins 0 0-1 0 Team 11 12-20 37

Halftime score: Indian Hills 32, Mid-Michigan 18; Three-point field goals: IHCC 6 (Ricks 3, Jones 1, Farr 1, Stuve 1); MMCC 3 (Parker 1, Wyman 1, Gross 1)

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

IHCC to Honor Veterans at Thursday Game

Ottumwa -- Indian Hills Community College is offering free admission to this Thursday night’s IHCC basketball game for all military veterans. The Warriors will host Mid-Michigan CC at 7:00 on Veterans Day at the Hellyer Student Life Center and anyone with a military ID will be admitted free.

The 14th-ranked Warriors are undefeated after sweeping three games last week to begin the season. Mid-Michigan is 1-1 and coming off a victory in their last game on Friday.

Mid-Michigan will stay in Ottumwa and take part in this weekend’s Klyn Automotive Classic with games Friday and Saturday night. Indian Hills will take on Kennedy-King College Friday and John Wood CC Saturday with tipoff both nights at 7:00.

Monday, November 8, 2010

IHCC Three-Pointers Shoot Down Ellsworth

Ottumwa -- Indian Hills used a three-point barrage to open up a big halftime lead and the Warriors cruised to a 97-75 win over Ellsworth CC in the Reed Overhead Doors Classic on Saturday night at the Hellyer Center.

The Warriors hit 10-of-15 shots from behind the arc in the opening half and made 14 in 25 attempts for the game in winning their third straight game to start the season. Indian Hills made eight 3's in the second half of Friday night's game and the 14 they made Saturday equalled the high-game total from last year.

Ellsworth took an early 8-7 lead, but Trey Starks got the Warriors' three-train going with his first of three treys in the opening half. A few minutes later, Derrick Hill nailed three consecutive three's allowing IHCC to open up its first double-digit lead at 32-21. Starks hit another three and Hill added a rare two-point basket as Indian Hills continued to widen the lead.

The first half ended, fittingly for the Warriors, when Kelvyn Valdez hit a three-pointer just before the buzzer.

Chad Dillard and Jerome Jones got in the act for IHCC early in the second half as each made his first 3 of the night. Jones' trey made the score 61-36 and the Panthers didn't get closer than 16 points the rest of the game.

Indian Hills shot 60% overall and 56% from long distance. Gary Ricks, Jr. led six Warriors in double figures with 18 points. Hill had 16. Trey Starks just missed a double-double with 13 points and 9 assists. Bill Freeman led ECC with 19, 18 of those coming in the second half.

The Warriors are idle until hosting Mid-Michigan CC on Nov. 11.

FINAL SCORE: INDIAN HILLS 97, ELLSWORTH 75

ELLSWORTH Jacques Coleman 4 0-1 9, Tut Jikany 0 0-0 0, Bill Freeman 6 4-6 19, Kewal Shiels 0 0-0 0, Darren Galloway 1 3-4 6, K.J. Evans 6 3-4 15, Charles Leans 0 0-0 0, Alfreeman Flowers 3 2-4 8, Mario Donaldson 2 0-0 5, Cody Olson 1 0-0 2, Luke Lamb 2 5-6 11 Team 25 17-25 75

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 4 2-4 10, Jerome Jones 4 2-2 10, Derrick Hill 5 2-4 16, Dijon Farr 2 0-0 5, Kelvyn Valdez 4 0-1 9, Trey Starks 4 2-2 13, Bruno Ferreira 0 1-2 1, Riley Stuve 1 0-0 2, Chad Dillard 5 0-0 11, Gary Ricks, Jr. 8 0-1 18, D.J. Bennett 0 0-0 0 Team 37 9-16 97

Halftime score: Indian Hills 51, Ellsworth 33; Three-point field goals: Ellsworth 8 (Freeman 3, Lamb 2, Coleman 1, Galloway 1, Donaldson 1), IHCC 14 (Hill 4, Starks 3, Jones 2, Ricks, Jr. 2, Farr 1, Valdez 1, Dillard 1)

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Warriors Get Back on Track, Pound Southwest Academy

Ottumwa -- A night after struggling to find a rhythm on offense, the Indian Hills Warriors had no such problem on Friday night, scoring early and often in a 119-48 dismantling of Southwest Academy on the first night of the Reed Overhead Doors Classic.

IHCC scored the first 14 points of the game, in the opening four minutes, and steadily built on the lead after that in winning their second game in a row to start the season.

The margin was 36 points at halftime, 62-26, and the Warriors had already scored more points at the half than they did in their overtime win against Quakerdale Academy the night before.

Indian Hills showed off its long-range shooting prowess in the second half, hitting 8-of-15 three-pointers in the final 20 minutes. Six different Warriors made a three in the game and seven players scored in double figures.

Leading the balanced IHCC attack was Trey Starks with 17 points. Gary Ricks, Jr. scored 15, Jerome Jones had 14, Stephen Coles and Dijon Farr 13 each, and Derrick Hill 12 for the winners. D.J. Bennett gave a glimpse of his potential with 10 points and 10 rebounds for IHCC.

Indian Hills shot 55% from the field and only turned the ball over 13 times after committing 19 turnovers in their opening game.

The Warriors will battle Ellsworth CC in the final game of the Classic on Saturday night at 7:00.

FINAL SCORE: INDIAN HILLS 119, SOUTHWEST ACADEMY 48

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 6 1-2 13, Jerome Jones 5 2-3 14, Derrick Hill 5 0-1 12, Dijon Farr 5 1-4 13, Kelvyn Valdez 3 0-0 8, Trey Starks 8 0-0 17, Bruno Ferreira 1 5-6 7, Riley Stuve 2 1-2 5, Chad Dillard 2 0-0 5, D.J. Bennett 4 2-3 10 Team 47 15-24 119

Halftime score: Indian Hills 62, Southwest Academy 26; Three-point field goals: Southwest Academy 6, IHCC 10 (Jones 2, Hill 2, Farr 2, Valdez 2, Starks 1, Dillard 1)

Friday, November 5, 2010

Great Escape, Warriors Win Opener

Ottumwa -- It wasn't pretty -- opening games often aren't -- but, in the end, the Indian Hills basketball team made enough plays to win their opener, 60-52 in overtime, against Quakerdale Academy on Thursday night at the Hellyer Center.

The Warriors trailed 48-41 with around four minutes to play after Quakerdale's Nathan Freeman knocked down four straight shots, three of them three-pointers. Indian Hills then ran off eight consecutive points to grab a 49-48 lead with two minutes remaining. Chad Dillard scored off an assist from Trey Starks to put the Warriors on top.

The lead didn't last long though as Quakerdale's Chris Oliveria hit a baseline shot as the shot clock was running out to make it 50-49 in favor of the visitors.

Indian Hills' Stephen Coles was fouled with 10.4 seconds to play, but missed both free throws. Teammate Jerome Jones rebounded the second miss and was fouled. Jones made the first foul shot to tie the score at 50-all, and made the second one too. But that shot was wiped out by a lane violation against Indian Hills.

The Warriors then survived a last-second potential game-winning shot attempt by Quakerdale to extend the game to overtime.

In the extra session, Starks opened the scoring with a three-pointer and Gary Ricks, Jr. added another three for IHCC. Starks hit a pair of free throws and Bruno Ferreira scored on a layup as the Warriors outscored the Eagles, 10-2, in overtime.

Quakerdale jumped out to a 19-13 lead in the first half as the Warriors got off to a slow start offensively.

Indian Hills took a 27-23 lead at the half when D.J. Bennett scored on a tip-in late in the opening half.

The visitors though ran off the first five points of the second half and battled the Warriors on even terms until Quakerdale opened their seven-point lead.

Jones started the IHCC comeback with a bucket and Starks then took over, hitting two free throws and a shot in the lane and assisting on Dillard's goal to give Indian Hills its 49-48 lead. Starks had all but two of his team-high 11 points at the end of regulation and overtime.

Ricks had 10 points for the Warriors. Freeman led all scorers with 15 for Quakerdale.

Indian Hills will host the Reed Overhead Doors Classic this weekend with games against Southwest Academy on Friday night at 7:00 and Ellsworth CC on Saturday at 7.

Final score: Indian Hills 60, Quakerdale 52 (OT)

QUAKERDALE Nathan Freeman 6 0-1 15, Jamal Johnson 0 0-0 0, Jamell Johnson 0 0-0 0, Yuri Leath 1 0-0 3, Dejoni Norris 4 0-2 9, Chris Oliveria 6 1-4 13, Mario Redmond 0 0-0 0, Tyler Washington 0 0-2 0, Frederick Young 4 4-6 12 Team 21 5-15 52

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 1 2-10 4, Jerome Jones 3 3-3 9, Derrick Hill 3 0-0 8, Dijon Farr 3 0-0 7, Kelvyn Valdez 0 0-0 0, Trey Starks 3 4-5 11, Bruno Ferreira 1 0-0 2, Riley Stuve 0 0-0 0, Chad Dillard 1 2-2 4, Gary Ricks, Jr. 4 0-0 10, D.J. Bennett 2 1-1 5 Team 21 12-21 60

Halftime score: Indian Hills 27, Quakerdale 23; Three-point field goals: Quakerdale 5 (Freeman 3, Leath 1, Norris 1), IHCC 6 (Hill 2, Ricks, Jr. 2, Starks 1, Farr 1)