NO. 2 WARRIORS CAPTURE THIRD STRAIGHT REGION TITLE
March 07, 2026
Ottumwa, IA – The No. 2 nationally ranked Indian Hills Men’s Basketball squad captured the 2026 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men’s Basketball Region 11 Championship with a 66-52 victory over second-seeded Southeastern Community College at the Hellyer Center on Saturday night.
With the win, the Warriors punch their ticket to the NJCAA North Central District Championship, set for March 14 at the Hellyer Center. The Warriors have now captured 22 NJCAA Region 11 Championships, including three consecutive titles.
The Warriors led for the final 27:38 of the contest to knock off the Blackhawks for the third time this season, and ninth consecutive win over their long-time conference foes. Three different players scored in double-figures for Indian Hills, led by sophomore Chiang Ring’s (Minneapolis, MN/Murray State) team-high 19 points. Ring added eight rebounds and four blocked sheets to power the Warriors.
Freshman Xavier Wilson (Kansas City, MO/Staley) tallied 15 points to go along with six rebounds for Indian Hills while sophomore Taj Au-Duke (Toronto, Canada/Pepperdine) added 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
The Warriors controlled the rebounding edge with a 38-29 margin, including a 13-4 differential on the offensive glass. Indian Hills held Southeastern to just 4-16 from three-point range and forced 16 Blackhawk turnovers to carry out the victory.
The Warriors will now await their opponent for the District championship game on March 14 at the Hellyer Center. Indian Hills will take on the winner of Dawson Community College (MT) and North Dakota State College of Science. The two teams will square off for the NJCAA Region 13 Championship Sunday afternoon.
