WARRIORS DROP RANGER, ADVANCE AT HUTCH
Hutchinson, KS – Behind a 26-point performance from sophomore Don McHenry (Milwaukee, WI/Hawaii-Hilo), the sixth-seeded Indian Hills Men’s Basketball team cruised to the quarterfinal round of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men’s Basketball National Tournament with an 88-68 win over Ranger College (TX).
In its tournament opener at the Hutchinson Sports Arena on Wednesday night, the Warriors built a 14-point halftime advantage before finishing off the 11th-seeded Rangers in the second half to advance as one of the final eight teams at the national tournament. The Warriors will square off with No. 3 seed Odessa College (TX), 62-56 winners over No. 14 seed Southeastern Community College earlier Wednesday night.
The win is the 28th all-time at the national tournament for the Warriors while the 20-point victory is the fifth-largest on the national stage for Indian Hills. The Warriors are making their 18th all-time appearance at the NJCAA DI Men’s Basketball National Tournament, tied for seventh-most all-time. The quarterfinal berth is the ninth such occurrence in school history for the Warriors.
Through 16 games of the opening two rounds at the 2023 national tournament, McHenry’s 26-point effort is fourth-most among all scorers. The guard connected on 5-9 three-point shots and scored 13 points in each half for the Warriors. The sophomore also corralled six rebounds and dished out a team-high five assists.
Sophomores Enoch Kalambay (Gatineau, Canada/Orangeville Prep) and David Jones (Sacramento, CA/Panola) each chipped in 11 points while freshman Trevion LaBeaux (Waterloo, IA/Ames) added 10 off the bench. Jones recorded his third double-double of the year with a team-high 11 rebounds while Kalamaby added nine boards in the win. Jones is just one of 10 players in the first two rounds at the national tournament to record a double-double, and just the third to do so off the bench.
As a team, the Warriors used the offensive glass to its advantage with 21 offensive rebounds, second-most this season. Jones led the way with six offensive rebounds as the second-chance opportunities led to 22 points for Indian Hills.
The Indian Hills defense, ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA in opponents’ field goal percentage this year, limited Ranger to just 27.6 percent shooting on the night, including 21.1 percent from three-point range.
Ranger marked the first bucket of the night and led 3-2 early on, but a Truth Harris (Mount Vernon, NY/Pensacola) three put Indian Hills in the lead for good at the 16:04 mark of the first half. Sophomore Eddiean Tirado (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Miami Triple Threat) converted back-to-back three-point shots and scored eight points in the opening 8:26 to push the lead to 17-9 in favor of the Warriors. Indian Hills continued to push the pace and led 41-27 at the halftime break.
Ranger pulled within single-digits in the opening minute of the second half, but the Warriors regained a double-digit edge, eventually securing a lead by as many as 22 points in the closing minutes. Jones scored nine of his 11 points in the second half alone on 4-5 shooting to aid the Warrior attack.
Indian Hills will now turn its attention to Odessa – a team the Warriors have matched up with twice before at the national tournament, but first meeting since 1997. The Warriors defeated the Wranglers 98-87 on its way to the 1997 national championship and 91-85 in the team’s first-ever national tournament game in 1993.
Thursday’s action can be seen live via the NJCAA Network ($) with a free audio broadcast of the game via GoHillsTV.
Fans of Indian Hills will be able to view the game in Ottumwa via a number of options – Godfrey’s Alehouse, Courtside Bar & Grill, Morgan’s Corner, and the IHCC Formal Lounge on the Indian Hills Ottumwa campus.
