WARRIORS WIN, OFF TO BEST START SINCE 2017-18
Casper, WY – No. 1 Indian Hills Men’s Basketball powered past Western Wyoming Community College 91-88 to finish 2-0 at the Visto Auto Thanksgiving Classic. The Warriors improve to 11-0 on the year.
The Warriors built a 15-point lead in the second half over the Mustangs and held off a late rally to pick up its second win in as many nights at the Swede Erickson Thunderbird Gym. The Warriors are off to their best start since the 2017-18 season where the team won its first 33 games of the year.
Sophomores Don McHenry (Milwaukee, WI/Hawaii-Hilo) and Enoch Kalambay (Gatineau, Canada/Orangeville Prep) both poured in a game-high 21 to lead the Warriors. McHenry has now tallied four 20-point games this year while Kalambay has added a pair. Lado Laku (Dallas, TX/Cal State Fullerton) scored a season-high 12 points while freshman Trevion LaBeaux (Waterloo, IA/Ames) collected his second consecutive double-digit performance with 10 points on 5-8 shooting.
The two sides found success in the first half as both teams shot above 50.0 percent through the first 20 minutes of action. Tied at 38 late in the opening half, the Warriors used a dunk from Laku and a floater from McHenry to help take a 44-41 halftime lead.
The Warriors slowly built a double-digit lead to open up the second half. A three from McHenry rattled home with under 10 to go to give the top-ranked team in the nation a 75-62 advantage. Indian Hills maintained a double-digit lead until the closing minutes where the Mustangs clawed back to within four. A series of free throws and a defensive stop in the final seconds held off the upset bid from Western Wyoming.
The Warriors finished the night shooting 50.8 percent from the floor, the team’s sixth game this year shooting above the 50.0 percent clip.
Kalambay added a team-high nine rebounds in the win for the Warriors while also contributing a pair of steals, three assists, and a block.
Indian Hills returns to action December 2 at the Hellyer Center with a 7:00 PM matchup vs. Sauk Valley Community College. The Warriors will also host Kankakee Community College at home at 3:00 PM on Saturday, December 3.
