Rest in Sight for Warriors After 15th Win

Ottumwa -- Playing their 18th game in 38 days, the Indian Hills basketball team earned a well-deserved break after pummeling New Creations Basketball Academy, 80-54, in the HyVee Classic on Saturday night.

The Warriors ended the first half of their schedule with back-to-back wins to take a 15-3 record into the holiday break. They don't return to action until January 7 against Northeast (NE) in the Golden Eagle Classic in West Burlington.

Indian Hills ended the first half by outscoring New Creations, 39-11, and coasted after that. The visiting Flyers had cut an early deficit to a single point before the IHCC onslaught.

By halftime, Gary Ricks, Jr. of the Warriors had equaled the entire scoring output for New Creations. Ricks had 21 at the half and made four straight three-point shots, three of them as the Warriors pulled away from an 11-10 lead.

Ricks added just two points in the second half, but still tied his season-high with 23. Latroy Taylor finished off an outstanding weekend with 14 points for IHCC, giving him 31 in the last two games.

Chase Campbell had 17 to pace the Flyers.

INDIAN HILLS 80, NEW CREATIONS 54

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 0 0-0 0, Jerome Jones 3 3-4 9, Derrick Hill 1 0-0 3, Dijon Farr 2 1-2 5, Kelvyn Valdez 1 2-2 4, Bruno Ferreira 0 1-2 1, Riley Stuve 3 0-0 6, Gary Ricks, Jr. 7 4-4 23, Latroy Taylor 6 1-2 14, Giovanni Smith 2 0-0 5, D.J. Bennett 4 2-3 10 Team 29 14-19 80

NEW CREATIONS Chase Campbell 5 3-6 17, Tristan Hicks 2 3-4 7, Marshall Bennett 3 4-5 10, Phillip Barner 1 2-2 4, DeVaughn Cole-Rodney 1 0-0 2, Darius Stevens 3 2-3 8, Jah Skelton 2 0-0 6 Team 17 14-20 54

Halftime score: Indian Hills 50, New Creations 21; Three-point field goals: IHCC 8 (Ricks, Jr. 5, Hill 1, Taylor 1, Smith 1), NC 6 (Campbell 4, Skelton 2)

Everybody Contributes in Rout of Future Academy

Ottumwa -- All 13 players scored, six of them with 11 or more points, as Indian Hills bounced back from an overtime loss to Kirkwood two nights earlier to wallop Future Academy, 108-66, at the Hellyer Center on Friday night.

The point total was the second-most of the season for the Warriors who got big games from four freshmen. The quartet of Latroy Taylor, Giovanni Smith, D.J. Bennett and Riley Stuve combined to score 52 points, with Taylor scoring a team-high 17 and collecting 10 rebounds.

Taylor had scored 21 points for the entire season before exploding against Future Academy. Smith entered the game having scored just seven points and had 13, including three 3's.

The Warriors ran out to a quick 13-3 lead. Future Academy, thanks to the long-range shooting of Brandon Johnson, cut the lead to 15-14. IHCC then used a 31-3 run to blow the game open.

The Warriors shot a blistering 69% in the opening half and led by 31 points at halftime.

Indian Hills also had a season-high 64 rebounds as the two teams combined for 152 field goal attempts.

Johnson led all scorers with 27 points for Future Academy.

Indian Hills concludes play in the HyVee Classic on Saturday night against New Creations Basketball Academy.

INDIAN HILLS 108, FUTURE ACADEMY 66

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 1 2-2 4, Jerome Jones 5 2-2 12, Derrick Hill 2 2-2 6, Dijon Farr 5 1-3 11, Kelvyn Valdez 3 0-2 6, Trey Starks 1 1-2 3, Bruno Ferreira 1 0-0 2, Riley Stuve 4 3-6 11, Chad Dillard 1 1-2 3, Gary Ricks, Jr. 3 0-0 9, Latroy Taylor 7 2-3 17, Giovanni Smith 5 0-0 13, D.J. Bennett 5 1-2 11 Team 43 15-26 108

FUTURE ACADEMY Brandon Johnson 11 0-0 27, Breon Jones 3 0-0 8, Steven Moody 1 0-0 2, Trey Owens 8 0-0 19, Joseph Rebollar 1 0-0 2, Danial Moody 4 0-1 8 Team 28 0-1 66

Halftime score: Indian Hills 57, Future Academy 26; Three-point field goals: IHCC 7 (Ricks 3, Smith 3, Taylor 1), FA 10 (Johnson 5, Owens 3, Jones 2)

Kirkwood Gets Payback Against IHCC

Ottumwa -- Louis Cox made a pair of free throws with 10.6 seconds to play and Kirkwood's Brennan Cougill added two free throws for the final margin as the Eagles came from behind in overtime to knock off Indian Hills, 67-64, at the Hellyer Center on Wednesday night.

IHCC's Gary Ricks, Jr. had sent the game into overtime by drilling a three-pointer with 4.9 seconds to play in regulation.

Chad Dillard gave the Warriors an early lead in the extra session with a three-point play. That turned out to be the only field goal for either team in overtime. All eight points for KCC came from the free throw line.

Ricks made two foul shots to put the Warriors ahead, 64-60. Kirkwood then had three trips to the free throw line and each time made one of two shots to pull to within one point.

With their lead cut to a single point, Indian Hills missed a shot and Kirkwood rebounded. Dillard then fouled Cox who hit the decisive foul shots.

Cougill scored seven straight points to open the second half and give KCC a 29-26 lead, their first of the night. Jerome Jones, who led all scorers with 18 points, nailed a three to tie the score and later converted a three-point play to put IHCC on top, 40-35.

The Eagles promptly answered with seven straight points, the last five by D'Monte Hopkins. Hopkins scored 13 points in the second half.

The lead was never greater than three points after that.

Cox made one of two free throws with 19 seconds left to make it 57-54 in favor of Kirkwood. IHCC's Trey Starks tallied on a driving layup to make it a one-point game.

Indian Hills then fouled Preston Brunz who calmly dropped in two free throws with 11.9 seconds remaining for a 59-56 lead. Ricks forced overtime with his 3-pointer from the right wing.

Indian Hills managed two 10-point leads in the first half, but suffered from cold shooting, making only 41% of their shots for the game, and only 16% (3-of-19) from three-point range.

Cougill had 17 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for Kirkwood. Starks followed Jones' 18 points with 15 for the Warriors, who lost their first home game of the season.

Indian Hills, now 13-3, will host the HyVee Classic this weekend with games against Future Academy on Friday night and New Creations Saturday night, both starting at 7:00.

KIRKWOOD 67, INDIAN HILLS 64 (OT)

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 1 0-0 2, Jerome Jones 8 1-4 18, Derrick Hill 1 0-0 2, Dijon Farr 2 2-2 6, Trey Starks 5 5-6 15, Bruno Ferreira 1 2-4 4, Riley Stuve 0 0-0 0, Chad Dillard 2 1-1 5, Gary Ricks, Jr. 4 2-2 12, Giovanni Smith 0 0-0 0 Team 24 13-19 64

KIRKWOOD Richie Thompson 1 0-0 2, Preston Brunz 0 3-4 3, Michael Weber 2 0-0 5, Jordan Gentry 1 0-0 2, Louis Cox 3 6-8 13, D'Monte Hopkins 7 1-2 16, Alex Coleman 2 1-2 5, Brennan Cougill 6 4-4 17, Bryan Brown 2 0-0 4, Troy Peter 0 0-0 0 Team 24 15-20 67

Halftime score: Indian Hills 26, Kirkwood 22; Three-point field goals: IHCC 3 (Ricks 2, Jones 1), KCC 4 (Weber 1, Cox 1, Hopkins 1, Cougill 1)

Clean Sweep: Warriors Take Down Quakerdale Academy

Marshalltown, IA -- Indian Hills finished off a weekend that saw them play three games in as many days, the last two at Marshalltown Community College's Emerson JUCO Challenge, with a 62-44 victory against Quakerdale Promise Academy on Sunday afternoon.

It was the fourth time in the past five weekends that the Warriors had played back-to-back-to-back games and left them with a 13-2 record halfway through the regular season schedule.

None of the Warriors scored in double figures, but 12 of the 13 who played scored at least a point. And, on a day when the IHCC offense struggled to find a rhythm, the defense held the Eagles in check, allowing only 15 field goals, none in the first eight minutes of action.

While their defense was shutting down Quakerdale early, the Warriors jumped out to an eight-point lead. The Eagles ran off seven points in a row only to see Indian Hills go on a 17-5 run to end the first half. Three different Warriors -- Gary Ricks, Jr., Dijon Farr and Derrick Hill -- all make 3's in the run.

The halftime margin was 13 points and IHCC never permitted Quakerdale to get closer than that in the second half. A flurry of free throws enabled Indian Hills to pull away in the final minutes.

The Warriors made only seven shots from the field in the second half, but hit 22-of-32 foul shots.

Jerome Jones led Indian Hills with nine points. Nathan Freeman scored 16 to pace the Eagles.

Indian Hills will play three games at home this week, starting with a Wednesday contest against Kirkwood CC.

INDIAN HILLS 62, QUAKERDALE PROMISE ACADEMY 44

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 1 3-4 5, Jerome Jones 3 3-4 9, Derrick Hill 1 5-6 8, Dijon Farr 3 1-2 8, Kelvyn Valdez 0 1-2 1, Trey Starks 3 1-3 7, Bruno Ferreira 1 0-0 2, Riley Stuve 2 3-4 8, Chad Dillard 1 2-2 4, Gary Ricks, Jr. 1 0-0 3, Latroy Taylor 1 3-4 5, Giovanni Smith 0 0-0 0, D.J. Bennett 0 1-2 1 Team 17 22-32 62

QUAKERDALE ACADEMY Nathan Freeman 6 0-0 16, Dejoni Norris 2 1-2 5, Chris Oliveria 1 0-1 2, Mario Redmond 3 3-4 10, Tyler Washington 0 3-6 3, Frederick Young 3 2-4 8 Team 15 9-17 44

Halftime score: Indian Hills 30, Quakerdale Academy 17; Three-point field goals: IHCC 5 (Hill 1, Farr 1, Stuve 1, Dillard 1, Ricks, Jr. 1), QA 5 (Freeman 4, Redmond 1)

Warriors Hang First Loss on DMACC

Marshalltown, IA -- With a 20-point second-half lead shaved to a single point, Indian Hills guard Trey Starks banked in a three-point shot with the shot clock ready to run out and the Warriors went on to knock off previously undefeated DMACC, 64-52, at Marshalltown Community College on Saturday.

Starks' shot propelled the Warriors on a 15-4 run to end the game and gave IHCC its 12th win against two losses.

The final seven IHCC points came at the free throw line in the final minute as the Bears were forced to foul to try to get back in the game.

Kannan Burrage's three-pointer with just under five minutes to play brought DMACC to within one at 49-48. But the Bears made only one basket the rest of the game as their season-opening 11-game win streak came to an end.

Gary Ricks, Jr. opened the second-half scoring with a three to give Indian Hills a 36-16 lead, their largest of the game.

Thirteen points by Burrage and a couple of clutch 3's by Cole Martin fueled the DMACC comeback. The Warriors went cold after DMACC switched to a zone defense and desperately needed the lift that Starks' three-pointer gave them.

Indian Hills scored the game's first six points. DMACC didn't score for over four minutes at the outset and didn't get their second field goal until the 9:00 mark of the first half. IHCC scored the final six points of the half to take a 17-point halftime lead.

Jerome Jones helped the Warriors pull away over the final five minutes when he made five foul shots, part of a 16-point effort for Jones. Trey Starks also scored 16 for the winners. Burrage had 19 to lead all scorers.

Indian Hills returns to Marshalltown for a noon game against Quakerdale Promise Academy on Sunday.

INDIAN HILLS 64, DMACC 52

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 3 0-0 6, Jerome Jones 5 5-6 16, Dijon Farr 3 0-2 8, Trey Starks 6 3-5 16, Bruno Ferreira 2 4-4 8, Riley Stuve 0 1-2 1, Chad Dillard 1 0-0 2, Gary Ricks, Jr. 1 0-0 3, Latroy Taylor 1 0-0 2, D.J. Bennett 0 2-2 2 Team 22 15-21 64

DMACC Kannon Burrage 7 3-4 19, Hal Bateman 2 4-7 8, Scottie Davis 3 0-0 6, E.J. Hicks 1 1-2 3, Cole Martin 2 2-2 8, Rico Saldana 1 0-0 2, Mike Thompson 1 0-0 2, Quincy King 0 0-0 0, Kurtis Phillips 1 2-2 4 Team 18 12-17 52

Halftime score: Indian Hills 33, DMACC 16; Three-point field goals: IHCC 5 (Farr 2, Jones 1, Starks 1, Ricks, Jr. 1), DMACC 4 (Burrage 2, Martin 2)

Blowout Win for IHCC to Start Busy Weekend

Ottumwa -- With three games in a span of less than 48 hours, the Indian Hills basketball team got its weekend started with a 91-45 demolition of Milwaukee Area Tech on Friday at the Hellyer Center.

It was the first home game for IHCC after six straight road contests and the Warriors will be right back on the road Saturday and Sunday when they play in the Emerson JUCO Challenge in Marshalltown.

Friday's game was decided early when Indian Hills used a 9-0 run to wipeout MATC's only lead of the game. Consecutive field goals by Gary Ricks, the second a three-pointer, ended the run and the Warriors built on the lead the rest of the night.

Riley Stuve pumped in 19 points to lead the Warriors. Stuve, whose previous best scoring effort was five points, had 13 by halftime and punctuated his big game with two threes in the second half.

D.J. Bennett also had his season high, getting 12 points to go along with five blocked shots.

Indian Hills nailed 11 3's for the game, their second straight game with that many three-pointers.

The lead was 20 at halftime and the Warriors outscored the Stormers, 47-21, in the second half.

Indian Hills will take on undefeated DMACC on Saturday in Marshalltown. The Bears are ranked 2nd in the NJCAA Division II poll.

INDIAN HILLS 91, MILWAUKEE AREA TECH 45

INDIAN HILLS Stephen Coles 2 2-2 6, Derrick Hill 1 2-4 5, Dijon Farr 4 0-0 10, Kelvyn Valdez 0 0-0 0, Trey Starks 5 0-0 11, Bruno Ferreira 0 5-6 5, Riley Stuve 7 2-2 19, Chad Dillard 1 0-2 3, Gary Ricks, Jr. 3 1-2 9, Latroy Taylor 3 2-2 8, Giovanni Smith 1 0-0 3, D.J. Bennett 5 2-4 12 Team 32 16-24 91

MILWAUKEE AREA TECH Kenny Foster 3 3-4 10, Darren Moore 1 1-2 3, Myles Morgan 2 2-5 6, Patrick Zemanovic 2 0-0 5, Adabamgbe Courtney 1 0-0 2, Bryce Wormet 2 0-0 6, Shahron Thomas 0 2-4 2, Rishaad Alexander 4 0-0 9, Danny Sanders 0 0-2 0, Steven Pratt 1 0-0 2 Team 16 8-17 45

Halftime score: Indian Hills 44, Milwaukee Area Tech 24; Three-point field goals: IHCC 11 (Stuve 3, Ricks 2, Farr 2, Hill 1, Dillard 1, Smith 1, Starks 1), MATC 5 (Wormet 2, Foster 1, Zemanovic 1, Alexander 1)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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

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)

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)

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.

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)

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)

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)

No. 14 Preseason Ranking for IHCC

Ottumwa -- The Indian Hills Warriors will take a No. 14 national ranking into the upcoming season. The preseason National Junior College Athletic Association poll, released Monday, has the Warriors ranked higher than at any time last year, when Indian Hills finished 25-8.

The Warriors were ranked for only three weeks in the 2009-10 season and never higher than 19th in the national poll. This year’s ranking marks the fifth time in the past six seasons that Indian Hills has been ranked in the top 14 in the preseason poll. The only time in the last six years the Warriors entered the season unranked was last year when the Warriors won the conference title for the third time in four years.

Indian Hills’ schedule includes games against five teams that are nationally ranked in the preseason: Moberly Area Community College (No. 18) and Three Rivers CC (No. 23) in the Division I poll, Kirkwood CC (No. 4) and DMACC (No. 20) in DII and Milwaukee Area Technical College (No. 12) in DIII.

Two Texas schools, Midland and defending national champ Howard, are ranked one-two in the Division I poll. North Idaho is third. Indian Hills is the only member of its four-team conference that is ranked in the preseason.

Indian Hills opens the season at home against Flint CC on Nov. 4. The Warriors will then take on Southwest Academy and Ellsworth CC the next two nights in the Reed Overhead Doors Classic. The first six IHCC games are at home with the next six on the road.

IHCC Hoops Tix Now on Sale

Ottumwa -- Season tickets for the Indian Hills Community College basketball team’s 2010-11 season are now being sold in the IHCC Athletic Office in the Hellyer Student Life Center on the Ottumwa campus.

Season tickets are $80 if purchased by the end of September. After that, they’ll be $96.

The schedule includes 16 home games, three home tournaments and a host of games against opponents that the Warriors either haven’t played before or haven’t met in a number of years.

The season opener is against Flint CC from Michigan on Thursday, November 4. Flint is also in the field for the Reed Overhead Doors Classic Nov. 5-6. Indian Hills will play Southwest Academy and Ellsworth CC in that tourney.

The following weekend, in the Klyn Automotive Classic, Indian Hills will battle Kennedy-King and John Wood CC.

After opening the season with six straight home dates, the Warriors will hit the road for six consecutive games. That stretch includes a game at Kirkwood CC, a perennial NJCAA Division II power; games against Three Rivers CC, last year’s Division I national tournament runner up, and Mineral Area in Missouri; and three games, all against quality opponents, in a Thanksgiving weekend tournament hosted by Western Nebraska CC.

The final home tournament, sponsored by Hy-Vee, is Dec. 10-11. The second half of the schedule starts with two games in a tournament at Southeastern CC. Indian Hills goes right back to West Burlington the following weekend to start the conference season against the BlackHawks. The final regular-season game is at home against Marshalltown Feb. 19.

Southeastern ended the Warriors’ season last year with back-to-back wins in the series to determine the Region 11 postseason champion. Indian Hills won the regular-season conference title with a 5-1 mark and finished the season with a 25-8 record.

The 2010-11 IHCC basketball schedule can be found on the Indian Hills website at www.indianhills.edu/athletics/basketball.

Kidder Provides Recruiting Update

Ottumwa -- Three players who played in high school state championship games last year are included in Indian Hills Community College basketball coach Jeff Kidder’s 2010 recruiting class. Those three athletes, along with a Division I transfer and a player from the Chicago area, are among the recruits announced by coach Kidder.

The signees include Riley Stuve, a member of the Ames High School team that finished an undefeated season by winning the Iowa Class 4-A state title in March. The 6-5 Stuve was the third-leading scorer for the Little Cyclones.

Kidder said, “Riley has been part of a winning culture at Ames and he’ll bring that winning attitude to Indian Hills. He was a starter on a team that was very special. He can really shoot the ball and will bring a level of toughness to his position.”

Trey Starks led Hillcrest High School in Springfield, Missouri to a state championship, the school’s first in 26 years, and he’s headed to IHCC this fall. Starks, a 5-11 point guard, scored 22 points in the state title game and earned first-team all-state honors as a senior.

Starks gained national attention for an alley-oop dunk he had in the championship game, a play that was shown on ESPN SportsCenter and has gotten thousands of views on YouTube.

“Trey is an outstanding player and will impact his position right away,” said Kidder. “He can play both point guard and shooting guard and will develop into an elite player before his IHCC career is done.”

The third title game participant to sign with Indian Hills is Latroy Taylor, a guard from Lew Wallace High School in Gary, Indiana. Lew Wallace lost in overtime in the championship game. Taylor is a lightning-quick 6-2 guard who averaged 19 points a game as a senior with a high game of 37.

“Latroy is a powerful guard who can take over a game on both ends of the floor,” said the IHCC coach. “He can score and defend with a great deal of passion. Latroy comes from a winning high school program. He will lead by example and his effort will be contagious around his teammates.”
Jerome Jones played last year at Missouri State in the Missouri Valley Conference and will transfer to IHCC this fall. Jones is 6-5 and was a three-year standout at Miller Career Academy in St. Louis. He led his squad to its first-ever trip to the Missouri Class 4 final four as a senior, averaging 24 points a game with a high game of 65 points. Jones played in 27 games at the D-I level last year.

Kidder said, “Jerome is an explosive forward who can play inside or outside. He’s a great kid who plays with a chip on his shoulder. He will provide strong leadership and is highly motivated to have a great season for the Warriors.”

The fifth recruit announced by Kidder is D.J. Bennett, a 6-9 center from Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Hills, Illinois. Bennett averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds as a senior.

“D.J. is very athletic with great hands,” said Kidder. “He was highly recruited by a number of Division I programs and has loads of potential. The hardest position to recruit with results is the center position and we feel we got a very good one in D.J.”

In addition to the five incoming players, Kidder will welcome back five players from last year’s team that went 25-8 and won the regular season region title. Dijon Farr will return for his sophomore campaign along with Brian Wilson, Bruno Ferreira, Derrick Hill and Chad Dillard.

Farr led the Warriors in scoring as a freshman at 11.9 points a game and was named second-team all-region. Ferreira was an honorable mention all-league choice and IHCC’s leading rebounder at 5.2 boards a game. Wilson scored as many as 20 points in a game and Hill had a 27-point game.

Coach Kidder hopes to round out his recruiting class before the start of classes at the end of the month.

New Dates for IHCC Hoops Camp

Ottumwa -- Indian Hills Community College basketball coach Jeff Kidder has announced a change in the dates for the summer Warrior Basketball Camp. The camp, for those ages 6 through 16, will now be held from 8 a.m. to noon August 9-11 in the Hellyer Student Life Center on the IHCC Ottumwa campus.
Members of the Indian Hills coaching staff and Warrior players will provide instruction during the camp.
Registration cost is $60 which includes a camp t-shirt and prizes. For more information, call 641-683-5288 or 641-683-5190 or register online at the IHCC website at www.indianhills.edu.

Dates Set for IHCC Hoops Camp

Indian Hills Community College basketball coach Jeff Kidder has released information on this summer’s Warrior Basketball Camp. The camp, for those ages 6 through 16, will be held from 8 a.m. to noon July 12-14 in the air-conditioned comfort of the Hellyer Student Life Center on the IHCC Ottumwa campus.

Members of the Indian Hills coaching staff and Warrior players will provide instruction during the camp.

Registration cost is $60 which includes a camp t-shirt and prizes. For more information, call 641-683-5288 or 641-683-5190 or register online at the IHCC website at www.indianhills.edu.

IHCC Has Five on All-Region Teams

Ottumwa -- Regular-season conference champion Indian Hills Community College had one player on the first team, one on the second team and three on the honorable mention list of the All-Region 11 basketball team announced by the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference.

The Warriors’ Larry Stone was the lone IHCC player on the five-player first team. Stone, a sophomore guard from Indianapolis and a transfer from IUPUI, was the second-leading scorer for Indian Hills with an 11.3 average. He also led the team in three-point field goals with 57.

Stone really came on in the second half of the season. He averaged 16.8 points a game in conference games, fourth in the league. Stone’s scoring average over the last half of the season was 15.0 and he scored in double figures in 13 of his final 15 games. His high game of 28 points came in a road win at Southeastern in the regular-season finale.

IHCC’s season scoring leader, Dijon Farr, was a second-team all-conference choice. Farr, from Pacolet, S.C., started all 33 games in his freshman campaign and averaged 11.9 points a contest. He was seventh in scoring in conference games (11.7) and also scored 10 or more points in 13 of his last 15 games. For the season, he reached double-figure scoring in 24 of 33 games. Farr also averaged nearly four rebounds a game.

The Warriors making the honorable mention all-league list were sophomore guards Dwan McMillan and Aaron Austin and freshman forward Bruno Ferreira.

McMillan, a Brooklyn, N.Y. native, averaged 9.9 points a game and led the team in assists. Austin, from Newport News, Va., was third on the Warriors in scoring at 10.6 and was second in assists. Ferreira is from Sao Paulo, Brazil. He was IHCC’s leading rebounder, averaging over five boards a game, and also averaged five points a contest.

Joining Stone on the all-conference first team are sophomores Norvell Arnold and Steven Baker from Southeastern, and freshman Tyler Brown and sophomore Will Clyburn from Marshalltown. Clyburn led Region XI in scoring in conference games at 22.2 and Arnold was second at 20.8.

The second team includes Anthony Salter, Shay Shine and Petey Hausley, all from Iowa Western, and Southeastern’s Jeron Lee along with the Warriors’ Farr.

Named honorable mention all-league are Henrique Medeiros, DeMarcus Phillips and Michael Appel from Marshalltown, Rinaldo Mafra and Paris Gulley of Southeastern and Charlie Westbrook from Iowa Western in addition to the trio of Indian Hills players.

SCC’s Arnold was a repeat selection on the all-conference first team. Shine dropped from the first team last year to second team this year. The other first-team pick from last year who returned this season was Marshalltown’s Phillips who missed all but one regular-season conference game with an injury. IHCC All-Americans Dwight Buycks and Dwight Hardy were the other first-team choices last year.

Ruple's Basket Gives SCC Series Win

West Burlington, IA -- For the second year in a row, the Indian Hills Warriors were denied a chance to add a Region 11 postseason championship to their regular season title. And for the second consecutive season, archrival Southeastern CC was the team that kept the Warriors from the postseason crown.

Freshman Abby Ruple's layup with 5.4 seconds to play was the game-winner on Wednesday night as SCC pulled out a 62-60 win over Indian Hills (25-8) in the second game of the best-of-three regional title series.

The Warriors pushed the ball up the court following Ruple's basket, but E.J. Hicks misfired on a three-point attempt that would have won the game.

Instead, it's the BlackHawks (23-10) who move on to play in the District 11 championship game next Tuesday night on their home court.

Indian Hills and Southeastern had struggled to make shots in Game 1 of the series on Monday night, a 53-49 SCC win.

Both offenses were much more efficient on Wednesday. Southeastern shot 58.5% for the game and was even better than that from 3-point range -- 66.7% (8-of-12). The Warriors made 52.4% of their field goals and 7-of-15 3s (46.7%). Each team had only 11 turnovers.

Indian Hills took its final lead on the 7th lead change of the game when Hicks made one of two free throws with 3:15 remaining to make the score 56-55.

Steven Baker, who along with Paris Gulley led SCC with 14 points, then hit a jumper in the lane and followed with two free throws to put the BlackHawks on top 59-56.

Aaron Austin, IHCC's top scorer with 19, hit an acrobatic shot in the lane to bring the Warriors to within one. After an SCC free throw the Warriors had the ball with 29.8 seconds to play.

Following two straight IHCC time-outs, Larry Stone scored from the right baseline, his only points of the game, to knot the score at 60-all.

Southeastern called their final time out with 16.4 seconds left to set up the play on which Ruple scored the game-winner.

Indian Hills had two six-point leads in the first half, the largest advantage for either team in the game. Dwan McMillan, one of six Indian Hills sophs who saw their IHCC careers come to a close, scored on a three-point play to end the first-half scoring and put the Warriors ahead, 37-33, at the half.

Indian Hills had six threes in the first half along with two old-fashioned three-point plays and three free throws by Hicks after he was fouled on a three-point try.

SCC was down at halftime despite making nearly 61% of their field goal attempts. And the BlackHawks' leading scorer, Norvell Arnold, sat out most of the first half after getting two early fouls.

Arnold started the second half with three field goals in less than four minutes to bring SCC from behind. He wouldn't score again however and fouled out with 6:15 to play.

IHCC trailed briefly by four points, but Austin drained a three to cut the deficit to one and neither team led by more than three points the rest of the game.

Two free throws by Dijon Farr gave Indian Hills a 55-53 lead with a little under five minutes left, and it was Baker who tied the score at 55 for SCC. Hicks' free throw preceded Baker's four straight points and set the stage for the tense final two minutes.

Indian Hills outrebounded the BlackHawks, 25-20, and SCC, amazingly, had only three offensive rebounds the entire game. But SCC still managed to break the hearts of the Warriors, just as they had done in last year's title series when they scored in the final seconds to down IHCC in overtime.

SOUTHEASTERN 62, INDIAN HILLS 60

SOUTHEASTERN A.D. Simmons 1 0-0 2, Steven Baker 5 3-4 14, Norvell Arnold 3 0-0 7, Mason Leggett 0 0-0 0, Paris Gulley 5 0-0 14, Jeron Lee 2 1-2 6, Rinaldo Mafra 1 0-0 2, Abby Ruple 4 0-0 9, Mansa Habeeb 3 2-6 8 Team 24 6-12 62

INDIAN HILLS Dwan McMillan 3 3-6 10, Aaron Austin 8 0-0 19, Brandon Garrett 1 0-0 2, Bruno Ferreira 1 0-0 2, Dijon Farr 6 2-3 17, Larry Stone 1 0-2 2, Brian Wilson 2 0-0 4, E.J. Hicks 0 4-5 4, Chad Dillard 0 0-0 0 Team 22 9-16 60

Halftime score: Indian Hills 37, Southeastern 33; Three-point field goals: SCC 8 (Gulley 4, Baker 1, Arnold 1, Lee 1, Ruple 1), IHCC 7 (Austin 3, Farr 3, McMillan 1)

SCC Gains Upper Hand in Region 11 Series

Ottumwa, IA -- Heading into the postseason, Southeastern had won only three road games all year. Now, less than a week later, the BlackHawks are just one win away from the Region 11 postseason championship after two straight victories away from home.

On Monday night, Southeastern used a 16-1 second-half run to erase a 10-point deficit and down Indian Hills, 53-49, at the Hellyer Center in Ottumwa in the first game of the best-of-three regional title series.

SCC had won at Iowa Western last Wednesday to gain a spot in the series against Indian Hills, the regular season conference champ.

Both teams struggled to score all night long, but the Warriors looked like they had finally gotten untracked when they took a 43-33 lead on a three-pointer by Dijon Farr with around eight minutes to play.

Reserve Mansa Habeeb started SCC's game-deciding rally with a layup and Jeron Lee ended it with a three-pointer for a 49-44 BlackHawk lead with just over two minutes remaining.

Indian Hills went nearly seven minutes without a field goal. Larry Stone finally broke the drought with a three to bring the Warriors to within 49-47. After SCC's Abby Ruple made one of two free throws, Stone had a chance to tie the game, but his three-pointer was off the mark.

Southeastern made three of four foul shots to nail down the win and take a big first step toward what they hope will be their second postseason series win in as many years.

SCC's Norvell Arnold, the second-leading scorer in the conference, was held to only seven points. But Arnold had a key tip-in, one of his two field goals, to tie the game at 44 after his two free throws had made it 44-42, part of SCC's big run in the final minutes.

The Warriors were held to their second-lowest scoring total of the season and made only 31% of their field goal attempts. Southeastern wasn't much better at 35%.

The first half saw very little offense, especially early. The score was 14-11 with a little under five minutes to go in the half. Stone hit a three to give IHCC a six-point lead, but SCC quickly tied it at 17 on three straight points by Arnold and a three-pointer by Lee.

That was the first of four straight 3's as the shots finally started to fall. Paris Gulley's trey gave SCC a 23-20 advantage. Farr brought IHCC to within a point at halftime with a spinning baseline drive at the end of the half.

An 11-2 Indian Hills run to start the second half featured back-to-back goals by Stone, who led the Warriors with 14 points, a three by Farr and a putback by Aaron Austin.

Two free throws by Lee allowed Southeastern to cut the lead to six and that's when the Warriors' free throw shooting woes started. On five consecutive trips to the line, they made one and missed one, then Dwan McMillan missed both shots with four minutes to play.

Arnold had averaged 28 points in the two regular season meetings with IHCC, but was held in check by the Warrior defense. Lee was the only double-figure scorer for the BlackHawks with 14.

McMillan had 12 and Farr 10 to go along with Stone's 14 for Indian Hills.

The Warriors are now faced with a must-win situation for game two, in West Burlington on Wednesday. They can take a little comfort in knowing that they already have a victory there this year, winning 74-70 in the final regular season game on Feb. 20. IHCC has won on two of their last three trips to Loren Walker Arena, but SCC has now won three straight at the Hellyer Center.

Indian Hills has to win to send the series to a third game, which would be played on Friday night on the Warriors' home court.

SOUTHEASTERN 53, INDIAN HILLS 49

SOUTHEASTERN A.D. Simmons 0 0-0 0, Steven Baker 4 0-0 9, Norvell Arnold 2 3-4 7, Mason Leggett 0 0-0 0, Paris Gulley 2 2-2 8, Jeron Lee 4 3-4 14, Rinaldo Mafra 0 0-0 0, Abby Ruple 2 3-4 7, Mansa Habeeb 4 0-0 8 Team 18 11-17 53

INDIAN HILLS Dwan McMillan 4 3-8 12, Aaron Austin 2 0-0 5, Brandon Garrett 0 0-0 0, Bruno Ferreira 0 0-0 0, Derrick Hill 0 0-0 0, Dijon Farr 3 2-2 10, Larry Stone 4 4-6 14, Brian Wilson 1 0-0 2, E.J. Hicks 2 1-2 6, Chad Dillard 0 0-0 0 Team 16 10-18 49

Halftime score: Southeastern 23, Indian Hills 22; Three-point field goals: SCC 6 (Lee 3, Gulley 2, Baker 1), IHCC 7 (Farr 2, Stone 2, McMillan 1, Austin 1, Hicks 1)

Warriors Survive First-Round Scare

Ottumwa -- The Indian Hills Warriors breathed a big sigh of relief when Marshalltown's Tyler Brown missed the second free throw in a two-shot situation with 2.2 seconds left in regulation, leaving Wednesday's first round game between IHCC and MCC tied at 72. Given new life in overtime, Indian Hills outscored the visitors 22-11 and advanced to the best-of-three league title series next week with a 94-83 victory.

The Tigers, the number-four seed, were poised to upset Indian Hills (25-6) on its home court, taking a five-point lead three times in the final minutes of the second half.

Will Clyburn, the conference's scoring leader, made a free throw with 54 seconds to play to give MCC (17-9) a 68-63 lead. And the prospects of Indian Hills making it into the regional playoff series for the fourth year in a row didn't look good.

Aaron Austin hit a free throw for IHCC and, after a defensive stop, Larry Stone buried a three-pointer to shave the lead to one point. Brown, who led all scorers with 33 points, nailed a pair of foul shots immediately after Stone's three to push the lead back to three at 70-67.

Stone found E.J. Hicks for a layup to make it a one-point game.

Clyburn then made one of two free throws and Stone followed with another three-pointer to put IHCC ahead, 72-71.

Stone then fouled Brown with 2.2 seconds on the clock and the IHCC crowd held its collective breath. But Brown, who made his 10th straight free throw with the first attempt, misfired on the second.

Chad Dillard started the overtime scoring for Indian Hills with a baseline drive for a 74-72 lead and MCC never got any closer than that.

With Indian Hills up by three 80-77 and just over a minute left in OT, Aaron Austin was given credit for a three-point basket that MCC coach Brynjar Brynjarrson thought came after the shot clock had expired.

The Tigers' coach went onto the floor to argue his case and was assessed two technical fouls and ejected from the game.

Stone made two of the four free throws for the technicals to build the lead to eight at 85-77 and the Warriors hit seven of eight free throws in the final minute.

Indian Hills scored the first seven points of the game, five of them by Dwan McMillan. McMillan already had 17 points at halftime, two shy of his season high, but was shut out the rest of the game.

Marshalltown ran off eight straight points to take an 8-7 lead and there would be four ties and six more lead changes in the first half.

The game was tied at 41 at intermission.

IHCC began the second half with another 7-0 run on a three by Dijon Farr and two buckets by Brian Wilson.

Brown showed his defensive ability with two steals which he turned into layups leading the Tigers back to a 52-52 tie.

Indian Hills held a 58-57 lead after a three by Stone, but Brown made four consecutive free throws and Clyburn scored to put MCC ahead by five.

Austin's basket with 3:35 left started the IHCC comeback that saw them eventually go ahead briefly on Stone's late three pointer.

The teams combined to shoot 80 free throws. Brown made 17-of-19 for MCC; Stone was 11-for-13 for the Warriors.

Stone didn't score a point until a pair of free throws with 12:33 left in the second half. He led IHCC with 21. Austin had all but two of his 15 points in the second half and overtime. He and Stone teamed up for 17 of the Warriors' 22 OT points.

Brown recovered from a slow start -- he had only five points at the half -- for his second 30-plus point game against IHCC.

Clyburn had a double-double with 13 rebounds to go along with his 24 points.

Indian Hills and Southeastern will be matched up in the Region 11 playoff series for the second year in a row. For the second straight year, the BlackHawks lost both regular season games to Iowa Western and then knocked them out of the postseason. SCC won 74-67 at Council Bluffs on Wednesday night.

Game one of the series will be at the Hellyer Center on Monday night at 7:00. The two teams meet at SCC on Wednesday and, if a third game is needed, Indian Hills will host it at 7:00 next Friday night.

INDIAN HILLS 94, MARSHALLTOWN 83 (OT)

INDIAN HILLS Dwan McMillan 4 6-8 17, Aaron Austin 4 6-10 15, Brandon Garrett 1 0-0 2, Bruno Ferreira 2 2-5 6, Dijon Farr 4 4-5 14, Larry Stone 4 11-13 21, Brian Wilson 4 0-1 8, E.J. Hicks 3 0-0 6, Chad Dillard 2 1-2 5 Team 28 30-44 94

MARSHALLTOWN Will Clyburn 7 8-13 24, DeMarcus Phillips 5 1-2 11, Tyler Brown 7 17-19 33, Javier Valdez 1 2-2 4, Vesteinn Sveinsson 0 0-0 0, Henrique Medeiros 1 0-0 2, Michael Appel 3 0-0 9, Rashad Porter 0 0-0 0 Team 24 28-36 83

Halftime score: Indian Hills 41, Marshalltown 41; End of regulation: Indian Hills 72, Marshalltown 72; Three-point field goals: IHCC 8 (McMillan 3, Farr 2, Stone 2, Austin 1), MCC 7 (Appel 3, Clyburn 2, Brown 2)

Warriors Get Comeback Win in Regular-Season Finale

West Burlington, IA -- The Indian Hills Warriors couldn’t have asked for a better way to conclude the regular season on Saturday night. The Warriors erased some of the bitter taste from a last-second loss to Moberly (Mo.) at home in their previous game and, at the same time, avenged their only conference loss with a 74-70 come-from-behind win at Southeastern CC.

IHCC had already wrapped up the conference title before the game and regained some momentum heading into the postseason with the win. Southeastern had knocked off the Warriors, 81-69, three weeks earlier at the Hellyer Center.

The BlackHawks certainly looked intent on sweeping the season series with the way they started this game. SCC jumped to an 11-0 lead in the first five minutes on four field goals, three of them three-pointers.

Dwan McMillan finally got IHCC on the scoreboard with two free throws 5:04 into the first half. Chad Dillard's layup off a feed from Aaron Austin and Austin's three-pointer quickly cut the lead to 11-7.

Indian Hills tied the score twice, both on shots by Larry Stone, then went ahead late in the half on three free throws. Southeastern's Abby Ruple scored to tie the game at 29-all at intermission.

Southeastern started the second half the same way they began the game. Seven points by Arnold, who led the BlackHawks with 22 points, allowed SCC to again take a double-digit lead, 50-40, midway through the second half.

A driving scoop shot by McMillan tied the game at 57 and Dillard, who was a clutch performer off the IHCC bench, buried a baseline jumper to give Indian Hills a brief lead. After Arnold tipped in a missed shot for another tie, Stone made two free throws to give IHCC a lead it would not give up.

Those foul shots, coming with 2:28 to play, started a stretch that saw Indian Hills make 15 of its final 18 free throws with Stone hitting 11-of-12.

Stone went to the line four times in the final 37.8 seconds and missed only one of eight free throws as the Warriors nailed down their 24th win of the season.

SCC cut the lead to 73-70 on a three-pointer by Mansa Habeeb. Austin's free throw with 4.8 seconds to play supplied the final point.

Stone had a season-high 28 points to lead IHCC. But his performance off the bench wasn't the only solid one by a Warrior reserve. Dillard (6 points, 6 rebounds), E.J. Hicks (7 points) and Alex Vouyoukas all gave Indian Hills key minutes as the Warrior bench outscored SCC's, 47-28.

Indian Hills made three fewer field goals than the hosts and two fewer three-pointers, but the Warriors nailed 30-of-39 free throws to 18-of-24 for SCC.

The top-seeded Warriors start postseason play at home against Marshalltown CC on Wednesday night at 7:00. Southeastern goes to Iowa Western in the other first round game. The winners meet the following week in a best-of-three series to determine the Region 11 champ.

INDIAN HILLS 74, SOUTHEASTERN 70

INDIAN HILLS Dwan McMillan 1 6-8 8, Aaron Austin 4 6-7 15, Brandon Garrett 1 2-2 4, Bruno Ferreira 0 0-0 0, Dijon Farr 1 1-2 3, Larry Stone 6 13-16 28, Brian Wilson 0 1-2 1, E.J. Hicks 3 1-2 7, Alex Vouyoukas 1 0-0 2, Chad Dillard 3 0-0 6 Team 20 30-39 74

SOUTHEASTERN A.D. Simmons 0 0-0 0, Steven Baker 2 3-4 8, Norvell Arnold 8 5-8 22, Mason Leggett 0 2-2 2, Paris Gulley 2 1-2 6, Jeron Lee 3 0-0 8, Rinaldo Mafra 2 0-0 4, Abby Ruple 2 3-4 7, Mansa Habeeb 4 4-4 13 Team 23 18-24 70

Halftime score: Indian Hills 29, Southeastern 29; Three-point field goals: IHCC 4 (Stone 3, Austin 1), SCC 6 (Lee 2, Baker 1, Arnold 1, Gulley 1, Habeeb 1)

Shot at Buzzer Sends Moberly Past IHCC

Ottumwa -- Eric Saunders tipped in a missed shot at the buzzer allowing Moberly (MO) to post their first win in Ottumwa in nearly two decades. Saunders got inside position and put back Jahmon Smith's missed jump shot to give the visiting Greyhounds a dramatic 68-67 win over Indian Hills at the Hellyer Center on Tuesday night.

The winning basket produced the 10th lead change of the second half and broke the hearts of the Warriors who let a five-point lead slip away in the final 22.4 seconds.

Larry Stone made four straight free throws to put Indian Hills (23-6) ahead 66-61. Antwaun Boyd drove for an uncontested layup to cut the deficit to three. Stone was fouled again, but this time made only one of his two foul shots to leave the score at 67-63.

Smith answered with only his 7th three-pointer of the season, and his only basket of the game, to bring the 'Hounds back to within a point, 67-66. The Warriors then tried to break the Moberly press by throwing a long inbounds pass to the other end of the floor. The ball sailed over the head of IHCC's Dijon Farr and bounced untouched out of bounds.

Because Farr didn't touch the ball, it meant Moberly (22-5) got the ball under their own basket rather than having to go the length of the floor with just over four seconds to play.

The ball was inbounded to Smith who missed a contested shot from inside the free throw line. Saunders though was in a perfect spot to put in the game-winner for the Greyhounds, who had lost their last 10 meetings with Indian Hills and hadn't beaten the Warriors in Ottumwa since 1991.

The game was close throughout. The largest lead was 10 points. Moberly grabbed that advantage on their first two possessions of the second half, back-to-back three-pointers by Jerret Towns. Towns made six 3's in all in the final half.

The Warriors battled back from that 33-23 deficit to tie the game at 40-all. They went ahead on a free throw by Chano Rashiduddin.

Moberly's Brandon Williams started a pattern of lead changes with a field goal and Farr nailed two free throws to allow IHCC to regain the lead.

Indian Hills' Brian Wilson and Moberly's Karron Johnson had a good battle down the stretch. Wilson tied the game at 49-49 with a layup and later made a pair of free throws to give IHCC a four-point lead.

After a Towns' three and two free throws by the Warriors' Dwan McMillan, Johnson gave Moberly a one-point edge with a field goal and two free throws.

Wilson scored back-to-back baskets around a Johnson dunk to leave Indian Hills up by one. Wilson's two free throws with just over a minute left made it a three-point game and set the stage for the final-minute fireworks.

Indian Hills took the largest lead of the first half at 18-12 and, at that point, seven different Warriors had a field goal. Moberly ended the first half with a 15-5 run, however, and Boyd's bank shot at the buzzer provided a four-point lead at intermission and a little foreshadowing for the end of the game.

Wilson had his high-game for the season with 20 points to lead IHCC. Stone got untracked in the second half when he scored all of his 14 points.

Towns' three-point shooting in the second half led to a team-high 20 points for the Greyhounds.

The game was a battle between two teams at the top of their conference standings. Indian Hills will end the regular season with a game at Southeastern on Saturday, having already clinched the league title and home court advantage in the playoffs.

Moberly is a half game ahead of Three Rivers in the Region 16 race with two games to play.

MOBERLY 68, INDIAN HILLS 67

MOBERLY Karron Johnson 5 2-5 12, Antwaun Boyd 3 0-0 6, Jerret Towns 7 0-0 20, Eric Saunders 3 0-0 7, Dezmond Hickman 0 0-0 0, Victor Leak 0 0-0 0, Brandon Williams 3 2-2 9, Latrail McCoy 0 1-2 1, Darius Glover 3 2-2 8, Jahmon Smith 1 2-2 5 Team 25 9-13 68

INDIAN HILLS Dwan McMillan 2 2-2 7, Aaron Austin 3 1-2 8, Brandon Garrett 1 0-2 2, Bruno Ferreira 1 0-0 2, Chano Rashiduddin 1 1-2 3, Dijon Farr 2 4-4 10, Larry Stone 3 6-8 14, Brian Wilson 6 8-8 20, E.J. Hicks 0 0-0 0, Chad Dillard 0 1-2 1 Team 19 23-30 67

Halftime score: Moberly 27, Indian Hills 23; Three-point field goals: MACC 9 (Towns 6, Saunders 1, Williams 1, Smith 1), IHCC 6 (Farr 2, Stone 2, McMillan 1, Austin 1)

Warriors Clinch First by Thumping Reivers

Ottumwa -- The Indian Hills Warriors took the drama out of the final weekend of the conference season by nailing down the league championship on Saturday night at the Hellyer Center. The Warriors held visiting Iowa Western to a season-low point total in a 63-45 win. That victory, coupled with Marshalltown's 111-109 win against Southeastern, leaves IHCC two games ahead of the other three league schools with one game to play.

It's the second straight ICCAC title for Indian Hills and its third in the past four years.

One of the major differences in the Warriors' win over Iowa Western was three-point shooting. IHCC made nine threes in the game while limiting the Reivers to only two.

And it was when Indian Hills made their three-pointers that was key. Iowa Western took an 11-9 lead about midway through the first half. IHCC first tied the score at 11, then sped away to a 20-11 advantage on a three-pointer by E.J. Hicks and two by Larry Stone.

The Warriors grabbed a 26-19 halftime lead and their final 15 points of the half came on four 3's and a three-point play by Bruno Ferreira.

Indian Hills continued the pattern of scoring their points in threes at the start of the second half. Dwan McMillan made the first of two free throws in the opening minute of the half. He missed the second try, but the Warriors grabbed the rebound and Aaron Austin hit a jump shot to put IHCC ahead 29-19.

Iowa Western battled back to within three at 36-33 on a layup by Tyrone Black. The Warriors then responded with a game-deciding 16-2 run.

It was four threes in that IHCC spurt that allowed the Warriors to coast home with their sixth win in a row against the Reivers. Stone made two more threes in the run and Austin and Dijon Farr each had one.

Stone ended the night's scoring with four straight free throws. He led all scorers with 17 points, the ninth time in the last 10 games he has scored in double figures off the IHCC bench.

Stone wasn't the only Indian Hills reserve who contributed to the win. Brian Wilson scored six of the Warriors' first nine points, but had to leave the game after picking up two quick fouls. Chano Rashiduddin came on and supplied some tough interior defense in Wilson's absence.

When Wilson was saddled with four fouls three minutes into the second half, Alex Vouyoukas took over in the post and had three rebounds and an assist while playing valuable minutes.

Farr had 11 points for Indian Hills and Austin scored all of his nine points in the final 20 minutes.

Anthony Salter and Petey Hausley led IWCC with 11 each.

While Indian Hills has wrapped up the conference title and a home game in the first round of the postseason Region XI tourney, Iowa Western, Marshalltown and Southeastern will be battling for the second seed and the right to host the other first-round game.

IHCC goes to Southeastern this Saturday while Marshalltown travels to Iowa Western.

The Warriors play their final regular season home game on Tuesday night against Moberly (MO).

INDIAN HILLS 63, IOWA WESTERN 45

INDIAN HILLS Dwan McMillan 0 4-8 4, Aaron Austin 2 4-6 9, Brandon Garrett 2 0-0 4, Bruno Ferreira 3 1-1 7, Chano Rashiduddin 0 0-0 0, Derrick Hill 0 0-0 0, Dijon Farr 4 0-0 11, Larry Stone 4 5-6 17, Brian Wilson 3 2-2 8, E.J. Hicks 1 0-0 3, Alex Vouyoukas 0 0-0 0, Chad Dillard 0 0-0 0 Team 19 16-23 63

IOWA WESTERN Anthony Salter 3 4-5 11, Shay Shine 1 0-1 3, Charlie Westbrook 1 0-0 2, Sammy Emile 2 6-7 10, Jimmy Williams 1 2-4 4, Petey Hausley 5 1-1 11, Wesley Cox 1 0-0 2, Jeff Allgood 0 0-0 0, Tyrone Black 1 0-0 2, K.C. Rodenburg 0 0-0 0 Team 15 13-18 45

Halftime score: Indian Hills 26, Iowa Western 19; Three-point field goals: IHCC 9 (Stone 4, Farr 3, Austin 1, Hicks 1), IWCC 2 (Salter 1, Shine 1)

Stone's 3's Lead to Home Victory

Ottumwa -- A big second half by sophomore guard Larry Stone, who scored 17 of his season-high 23 points in the final 20 minutes, vaulted Indian Hills to an 87-65 non-conference win over Northeast (Neb.) at the Hellyer Center on Wednesday night.

Stone had his best scoring game since the season-opener against Carl Sandburg when he scored 20. Included in his night's work were six three-point baskets, also a season-high.

Northeast closed to within eight points early in the second half on a three-pointer by Zach Towle. They had scored the final six points of the first half and Towle's three made it 44-36.

Dijon Farr answered with a baseline drive and basket that began a 15-3 run by the Warriors that effectively put the game away.

Farr had two breakaway dunks in the first half around another dunk by Brian Wilson as IHCC used a 12-0 run to break open a tight game.

Northeast scored six straight points to cut the IHCC lead to 25-24 before the Warriors sprinted away. Dwan McMillan had three steals and four assists in the burst.

The Warriors shot 58% for the game (33-57) and Stone made six-of-nine from three-point range. He leads Indian Hills with 44 3's for the season.

Northeast shot 49% (23-47) and was led by Thomas Colbert's 22 points.

Wilson had his second consecutive double-digit effort off the bench for IHCC with 16 points. The Warriors got 53 points from their bench.

Indian Hills returns to Region XI conference play on Saturday night, hosting Iowa Western at 7:00. IHCC enters the weekend with a one-game lead in the conference with two games to play.

INDIAN HILLS 87, NORTHEAST 65

INDIAN HILLS Dwan McMillan 0 0-0 0, Brandon Garrett 3 3-4 9, Bruno Ferreira 3 1-2 7, Chano Rashiduddin 2 0-0 4, Derrick Hill 2 0-0 5, Dijon Farr 6 0-0 13, Larry Stone 8 1-2 23, Brian Wilson 5 6-9 16, E.J. Hicks 2 2-3 6, Alex Vouyoukas 2 0-0 4, Chad Dillard 0 0-0 0 Team 33 13-20 87

NORTHEAST Zach Towle 3 3-4 12, Thomas Colbert 9 4-5 22, Nicholas Mabbutt 0 0-0 0, David Taylor 5 1-5 11, Lahkeem Trotter 1 2-2 4, Brad Pieper 0 1-2 1, Sean Stevens 0 0-0 0, Matthew Julkes 2 2-4 8, Dol Kutey 1 0-2 2, Jayvin Reynolds 2 1-3 5 Team 23 14-28 65

Halftime score: Indian Hills 44, Northeast 33; Three-point field goals: IHCC 8 (Stone 6, Hill 1, Farr 1), NCC 5 (Towle 3, Julkes 2)

Road Win Puts Warriors Back on Top

Marshalltown, IA -- The Indian Hills Warriors used a 9-2 run over the game’s final two-and-a-half minutes to reclaim sole possession of first place in the conference with a 63-56 win at Marshalltown Community College Saturday night.

Aaron Austin’s jumper in the lane with 2:10 left to play snapped a 54-all tie and put the Warriors ahead in what was a see-saw second half. After a Warrior defensive stop Austin made a layup to double the lead. Tyler Brown, who torched the Warriors for 31 points in their previous meeting and had 18 in this game, hit a pair of free throws with just over a minute to play to cut the lead to 58-56.

But the home-standing Tigers wouldn’t score again. IHCC’s Brian Wilson made a short hook shot for a four-point lead and Indian Hills (21-5, 3-1) added three free throws in the final minute of play to finish off the victory, Indian Hills’ third in four conference games and their second straight on the road.

Austin drained two free throws to close out the scoring. He had all of his 13 points in the second half.

The Indian Hills defense was outstanding early and late in the game. The Warriors held the high-scoring Tigers to only five field goals in the first half. All the baskets were scored in the paint as MCC’s outside shooting, which produced 14 three-pointers in the earlier meeting, was non-existent. They made only three 3’s for the night.

MCC managed only one field goal in the final five-and-a-half minutes of the second half and shot just 32% for the game. Outside shooting was tough for both sides. The Warriors made only two shots from behind the arc.

After a tight first 14 minutes of play, IHCC opened an 11-point lead late in the first half on a three-pointer by Larry Stone. He led Indian Hills with 14 points.

Marshalltown (15-7, 1-3) cut the lead to eight by halftime, then battled back to tie the score at 32-all early in the second half. It was close the rest of the game with five lead changes and four ties in the final 20 minutes.

As is so often the case in these types of games, a couple of mini-runs helped the Warriors’ cause. They scored six straight points to take a 38-34 advantage and later used an 8-0 run to grab a 54-49 lead. Stone was in the middle of the second run with a basket and two assists to Wilson.

Marshalltown quickly tied the score at 54 though on a three-point play by their leading scorer, Will Clyburn, and two foul shots by Brown.

That’s when Austin made his consecutive clutch field goals for the Warriors who notched their fifth straight conference road win over the past two seasons.

Clyburn had a game-high 20 points for MCC and Brown added 18. In addition to Stone’s 14 and Austin’s 13 for the Warriors, Dijon Farr scored 12 and Wilson tallied 10 points.

It was a good night for road teams in the conference. Iowa Western won in overtime at Southeastern, 72-69, leaving Indian Hills one game ahead of both IWCC and SCC with two Region XI games left.

Indian Hills has a non-conference home game against Northeast (Neb.) on Tuesday night at 7:00. Iowa Western then visits the Hellyer Center this Saturday night looking to avenge an earlier home court loss to IHCC.

INDIAN HILLS 63, MARSHALLTOWN 56

INDIAN HILLS Dwan McMillan 3 0-1 7, Aaron Austin 4 5-6 13, Brandon Garrett 0 1-2 1, Bruno Ferreira 1 0-2 2, Derrick Hill 0 0-0 0, Dijon Farr 5 2-2 12, Larry Stone 5 3-4 14, Brian Wilson 5 0-0 10, E.J. Hicks 2 0-0 4 Team 25 11-17 63

MARSHALLTOWN Will Clyburn 5 10-13 20, Tyler Brown 4 9-10 18, Luiz Paulo 1 0-0 2, Mike Willis 0 1-2 1, Vesteinn Sveinsson 0 0-0 0, Henrique Medeiros 4 1-1 11, Michael Appel 0 0-2 0, Rashad Porter 2 0-1 4 Team 16 21-29 56

Halftime score: Indian Hills 28, Marshalltown 20; Three-point field goals: IHCC 2 (McMillan 1, Stone 1), MCC 3 (Medeiros 2, Brown 1)

Delayed Start Doesn't Faze Warriors in 20th Win

Ottumwa -- The Indian Hills basketball was eager to get back on the court and start to erase the bitter taste of last Saturday's loss to Southeastern and it didn't matter that Tuesday's game with Clinton CC started nearly an hour late after the visitors had problems getting to Ottumwa.

Once the game got underway, Indian Hills wasted little time in starting what they hope will be another winning streak as they rolled over the Cougars, 81-38, at the Hellyer Center.

Clinton's Cedric Collins scored the first basket of the game, but by the time the Cougars scored again they were already down 16-2.

The Warriors, who upped their season record to 20-5, continued to stretch the lead with the final margin equalling the largest of the night.

By the halftime break, all 11 of the Warriors who had suited up had at least one field goal. Two of the leading scorers for IHCC had season highs.

E.J. Hicks scored 12 points to pace Indian Hills and Alex Vouyoukas provided 10 points off the bench. Brandon Garrett added 11 points for the Warriors. Collins scored 17 for Clinton, which was outscored, 41-18, in the second half.

Indian Hills has gotten their victories in bunches this year: five straight wins to start the season, then six straight after a three-game losing streak, and an eight-game winning streak that was snapped by SCC last weekend.

The second half of the conference season starts this Saturday with the Warriors on the road at Marshalltown CC, a team they defeated 78-77 in the league opener.

INDIAN HILLS 81, CLINTON 38

INDIAN HILLS Dwan McMillan 3 0-0 7, Aaron Austin 1 1-2 3, Brandon Garrett 5 1-4 11, Bruno Ferreira 3 0-0 6, Chano Rashiduddin 1 0-0 2, Derrick Hill 4 0-0 9, Dijon Farr 4 1-3 9, Brian Wilson 4 0-0 8, E.J. Hicks 5 0-1 12, Alex Vouyoukas 5 0-0 10, Chad Dillard 1 2-2 4 Team 36 5-12 81

CLINTON Cedric Collins 6 3-6 17, John Love 3 3-4 10, Karey Sierra 1 1-4 4, Shanune Hannibal 2 0-2 4, Brandon Baccus 0 0-0 0, Brady Oldag 0 0-0 0, Jamaal Beavers 0 1-2 1, DeAngelo Dodd 0 0-0 0, Cory Melancon 1 0-0 2 Team 13 8-18 38

Halftime score: Indian Hills 41, Clinton 20; Three-point field goals: IHCC 4 (Hicks 2, McMillan 1, Hill 1), CCC 4 (Collins 2, Love 1, Sierra 1)

Too Much Arnold Drops IHCC into Tie for First

Ottumwa -- Southeastern Community College did what 15 teams before them couldn't do this season -- win a game at the Hellyer Student Life Center at Indian Hills. And when the visiting BlackHawks handed the Warriors an 81-69 defeat on Saturday night, it left the two teams tied for the top spot in the Region XI standings.

SCC's Norvell Arnold, a first-team all-region choice last year, torched the Warriors for 34 points, 19 of them coming in the second half when the BlackHawks never allowed Indian Hills to get back in the game after SCC hit their first two shots of the last half to build an 11-point lead.

Indian Hills couldn't get closer than eight points after that as the Warriors saw an eight-game winning streak come to an end and lost their first home game since SCC ended their season a year ago with an overtime win in the deciding game of the regional playoff series.

Arnold took over the game down the stretch for Southeastern, scoring 14 straight points for his team. Ten of those points came at the free throw line, where the sophomore made all 12 of his attempts in the second half and 19-of-21 for the game.

Only twice in the second half were the Warriors able to hit shots on consecutive possessions. And the home team was manhandled on the boards, getting outrebounded 44-27.

Brian Wilson gave Indian Hills an 11-8 first-half lead with a three-point play. SCC then got field goals from Arnold and Steven Baker to take a lead they would never lose. Arnold's basket started a 17-2 run for SCC. As part of that run, he also made back-to-back three-pointers. He was fouled on one of those attempts and made it a four-point play by adding the free throw.

Indian Hills fought back to within three points late in the first half, but again it was Arnold that stepped up for the BlackHawks, hitting 4-of-6 foul shots to end the half. Those were his only misses from the free-throw line in 21 tries.

Southeastern quickly expanded their six-point halftime lead on field goals by Rinaldo Mafra and Jeron Lee to begin the second half and the closest the Warriors got after that was 57-49 on two free throws by Larry Stone.

Stone led IHCC in scoring with 17 points. Dijon Farr added 15. Mafra had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the BlackHawks to complement Arnold's big game.

The field goal shooting numbers were nearly identical, 41% for SCC and 42% for IHCC. But the BlackHawks enjoyed a huge edge at the foul line where they made 26-of-31 (84%) to just 20-of-35 (57%) for Indian Hills.

The Warriors and BlackHawks are both 2-1 in the league, a game ahead of Iowa Western and Marshalltown, tied at 1-2 after MCC drubbed Iowa Western, 95-76, in the other conference game Saturday.

Indian Hills has a non-conference contest at home against Clinton CC on Tuesday night before going to Marshalltown for their next league game on Saturday.

SOUTHEASTERN 81, INDIAN HILLS 69

SOUTHEASTERN A.D. Simmons 1 2-2 4, Steven Baker 4 0-0 9, Norvell Arnold 6 19-21 34, Mason Leggett 1 2-2 4, Paris Gulley 3 0-0 7, Jeron Lee 2 0-0 5, Rinaldo Mafra 5 0-2 10, Abby Ruple 1 1-2 3, Mansa Habeeb 1 2-2 5 Team 24 26-31 81

INDIAN HILLS Dwan McMillan 2 4-6 9, Aaron Austin 3 4-5 11, Brandon Garrett 0 0-0 0, Bruno Ferreira 1 1-3 3, Chano Rashiduddin 0 0-0 0, Derrick Hill 1 1-2 3, Dijon Farr 6 1-5 15, Larry Stone 4 6-8 17, Brian Wilson 4 3-6 11, E.J. Hicks 0 0-0 0, Chad Dillard 0 0-0 0 Team 21 20-35 69

Halftime score: Southeastern 39, Indian Hills 33; Three-point field goals: SCC 7 (Arnold 3, Baker 1, Gulley 1, Lee 1, Habeeb 1), IHCC 7 (Stone 3, Farr 2, McMillan 1, Austin 1)

Strong 'D' Leaves IHCC Alone in First Place

Council Bluffs, IA --- Indian Hills used a tenacious defensive effort to defeat Iowa Western, 63-49, and take over sole possession of first place in the conference on Saturday night. The Warriors (19-4, 2-0) held Iowa Western to 32% percent field goal shooting, just 26% in the second half, as IHCC won their second straight Region XI contest in their first league road test.

Iowa Western (15-5, 1-1) made only 1-of-12 three-point attempts and the Warriors used a late 11-1 run to open up a comfortable lead and coast to their 8th win in a row overall and their 14th win in their last 15 games.

Indian Hills trailed only once all night after the Reivers' Charlie Westbrook scored the first basket of the game. The Warriors responded with six consecutive points on field goals by Aaron Austin, Bruno Ferreira and Chano Rashiduddin to take a lead they would never relinquish.

Iowa Western was within a point at 24-23, but IHCC scored the next five points. Austin's pair of free throws allowed the Warriors to take a five-point halftime lead.

Freshman guard Derrick Hill gave Indian Hills a spark off the bench when he scored nine straight points in the opening half. Hill entered the game about midway through the half and promptly nailed three shots in a row - a couple of three-pointers and another bucket with his foot on the three-point line - and then added a free throw. Hill made another three-pointer in the second half and led all scorers with 12 points.

Indian Hills opened the second half with a 6-1 spurt to build the lead to 10 and the home team didn't get closer than seven points the rest of the night.

Brian Wilson had four points and six rebounds in a reserve role for IHCC. His free throw gave the Warriors a 46-32 lead with a little over 12 minutes to play. Iowa Western whittled the deficit to 52-45 and that's when Indian Hills clinched the victory by scoring 11 of the next 12 points.

Larry Stone fed Dijon Farr for a bucket, Dwan McMillan made two free throws, Stone added a hoop and Farr threw down a vicious one-handed dunk on a breakaway. The Warriors put the exclamation point on the win when Austin buried a three from the corner.

Iowa Western managed only six second-half field goals and the 49 points they scored were 31 under their season average.

Farr added 10 points to Hill's 12 for IHCC. Westbrook, Sammy Emile and Petey Hausley all scored 10 for the Reivers.

A key to the IHCC win was the Warriors' defensive job on Iowa Western guards Anthony Salter and Shay Shine, both preseason All-Americans. They were a combined 2-of-18 from the floor.

Indian Hills is the only conference team to make it through the first two weeks of league play unscathed. They are a game ahead of both Iowa Western and Southeastern, which defeated Marshalltown 75-72 in West Burlington Saturday night.

Next up for the Warriors is a visit by Southeastern. The last time the BlackHawks played in Ottumwa they ended the Warriors' season with an overtime win in the deciding game of the Region XI best-of-three series last March. Tipoff will be at 7:00 this Saturday night at the Hellyer Center. .

INDIAN HILLS 63, IOWA WESTERN 49

INDIAN HILLS Dwan McMillan 2 3-5 9, Aaron Austin 2 4-4 9, Brandon Garrett 0 0-0 0, Bruno Ferreira 2 1-2 5, Chano Rashiduddin 3 0-0 6, Derrick Hill 4 1-2 12, Dijon Farr 4 2-2 10, Larry Stone 3 2-2 8, Brian Wilson 1 2-4 4, E.J. Hicks 0 0-0 0, Alex Vouyoukas 0 0-0 0, Chad Dillard 0 0-0 0 Team 21 15-21 63

IOWA WESTERN Anthony Salter 2 0-0 4, Shay Shine 0 4-6 4, Charlie Westbrook 3 4-5 10, Sammy Emile 3 4-5 10, J.R. Weathers 1 1-2 3, Wesley Cox 0 3-4 3, Jimmy Williams 0 0-0 0, Jeff Allgood 1 0-0 3, Emarri Bailey 1 0-0 2, Petey Hausley 4 2-6 10 Team 15 18-29 49

Halftime score: Indian Hills 31, Iowa Western 26; Three-point field goals: IHCC 6 (Hill 3, McMillan 2, Austin 1), IWCC 1 (Allgood 1); Rebounds: IHCC 30 (McMillan, Ferreira, Wilson 6), IWCC 26 (Weathers 7); Turnovers: IHCC 20, IWCC 18; Blocks: IHCC 4 (Farr 2), IWCC 4 (Westbrook 2); Steals: IHCC 8 (McMillan 4), IWCC 7 (Westbrook, Emile 2)

Farr's Late FG Rescues Warriors

Ottumwa -- Dijon Farr's layup off a perfectly executed baseline out-of-bounds play allowed Indian Hills to steal a win in the Region XI opener against Marshalltown Saturday night. Farr's basket, from a feed from Dwan McMillan, put the Warriors on top 78-77 and Marshalltown was unable to get the ball past halfcourt in their final possession.

The game-winner by Farr, who led the IHCC scoring with 19 points, came about 16 seconds after MCC's Henrique Medeiros gave the Tigers the advantage with a three-pointer with 20.5 seconds remaining. Medeiros' three-ball came on a nice pass from Tyler Brown. Everybody in the gym probably expected Brown to take the shot for MCC. After all, he had made nine 3's and 11 of his 14 shots up to that point in the game. But Brown drew two defenders and then passed to a wide-open Medeiros who buried what looked like a game-winning shot for the Tigers.

The Warriors though showed a resiliency in the final seconds that they had exhibited earlier in the evening after falling behind by as many as 18 points in the first half. When Brown nailed his 7th three of the opening half, Marshalltown had a 39-21 lead and Brown had outscored IHCC all by himself, 25-21.

That's when Indian Hills altered their offensive strategy. Coach Jeff Kidder had his team spread the court on offense and drive the gaps in the Tigers' zone defense. It paid off to the tune of a 16-0 run to close the first half, a spurt which got the Warriors back to within two points at intermission..

Farr started the IHCC run with a three-pointer. Aaron Austin had two straight field goals, one of them a three. Bruno Ferreira added a free throw and McMillan finished a three-point play to keep the run going. After Farr scored to cut the lead to 39-35, he and Austin combined for the final basket of the half.

Indian Hills got the ball out of bounds in their backcourt after an MCC turnover. With just 1.9 seconds of the clock, Farr found Austin streaking toward the Tigers' goal with no one back for Marshalltown and Austin's layup beat the first-half buzzer and sent the Warriors off with halftime momentum.

Indian Hills scored the first six points of the second half to take a 43-39 lead and extend their run of unanswered points to 22.

The Warriors eventually built the lead to eight at 51-43. Brown's first basket of the second half, a three, cut the lead to two and Mike Willis followed with a tying field goal for the Tigers. Willis had 13 of his 15 points in the second half.

Larry Stone's three-pointer snapped the tie and Stone had two more field goals, including another three, as the Warriors again built the lead to eight on five straight points by McMillan.

Once again, MCC stormed back with an 8-0 run which ended when Brown made his 9th three-pointer of the game, tying the score at 70.

McMillan's basket with three minutes to play gave IHCC the lead, but Willis tied it on an inside bucket. Ferreira scored on an offensive rebound goal for the Warriors, but Will Clyburn made two free throws after an intentional foul call on IHCC to tie the score for the final time at 74-74.

Austin's floater in the lane with under a minute to play gave Indian Hills a 76-74 lead and set the stage for the final heroics by Medeiros and Farr.

For the game, Marshalltown made 14-of-23 three-pointers for 61%.

Each team had four players in double figures with Brown's 31 leading all scorers. The Warriors had good balance with Stone getting 17, McMillan 14 and Austin 12 to go along with the 19 scored by Farr.

The Warriors extended their winning streak to seven and their home record to 15-0. They will take an 18-4 mark to Council Bluffs to battle Iowa Western. The Reivers opened their conference schedule at home with a 79-72 win over Southeastern on Saturday.

INDIAN HILLS 78, MARSHALLTOWN 77

INDIAN HILLS Dwan McMillan 6 2-4 14, Aaron Austin 5 0-0 12, Brandon Garrett 2 0-1 4, Bruno Ferreira 2 3-5 7, Chano Rashiduddin 0 0-0 0, Derrick Hill 0 0-0 0, Dijon Farr 8 1-4 19, Larry Stone 6 2-2 17, Brian Wilson 0 0-0 0, E.J. Hicks 2 0-0 5, Chad Dillard 0 0-0 0 Team 31 8-16 78

MARSHALLTOWN Will Clyburn 3 4-6 11, Tyler Brown 11 0-0 31, Luiz Paulo 2 2-4 6, Mike Willis 7 1-2 15, Vesteinn Sveinsson 0 0-0 0, Charleston Smith 0 0-0 0, Henrique Medeiros 4 0-0 11, Michael Appel 1 0-0 3, Rashad Porter 0 0-0 0 Team 28 7-12 77

Halftime score: Marshalltown 39, Indian Hills 37; Three-point field goals: IHCC 8 (Stone 3, Austin 2, Farr 2, Hicks 1), MCC 14 (Brown 9, Medeiros 3, Clyburn 1, Appel 1)