IHCC Warriors advance after sailing by Ranger
Mar. 23—HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Sixth-seeded Indian Hills put together 40 minutes of basketball Wednesday, gliding by Ranger, Texas to advance in the NJCAA tournament.
The IHCC Warriors' Don McHenry tallied 26 points while four others finished in double figures to give the Warriors an 88-68 win. They will play Odessa Thursday night in the quarterfinals.
"I thought everybody played well," IHCC head coach Hank Plona said. "I mean there's some mistakes here and there, but I thought the guys played with confidence, I thought the ball moved, I thought Eddiean Tirado really helped us in the first half.
"I thought Enoch Kalambay did kind of what he does: play a little bit of everything and put a lot of pressure on the rim. I thought David Jones and Trevion LaBeaux were certainly physical forces the whole night. Not to single out those guys, but I thought the guys all played well."
It didn't take long for the Warriors to dispel concerns that a long 18-day layover since their 63-60 regional final loss against Southeastern may cause a flat start.
The Rangers opened the contest with a dunk by Darius Davis. But IHCC's Truth Harris tied the game with a jumper 20 seconds later. Less than five minutes into the game, Indian Hills grabbed the lead with a three-pointer by Harris and would never relinquish their advantage.
"We've had 18 really strong days," Plona said. "It seems like every time we lose a game we really get back together and focus on the overall team. ... These guys have been playing their tails off in practice since we got down here. I wasn't worried about their intensity level or any of that stuff."
The Warriors would stretch their lead out to 22 at its largest point before the final settled at a 20-point margin.
Behind a 26-point night from McHenry was an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double performance by Jones. Kalambay also tallied 11 points while LeBeaux put together 10.
Next up for the Warriors is third-seed Odessa on Thursday at 8 p.m.
"They're deep, they're physical, they'll get up and guard you — they'll press," Plona said about IHCC's next game. "They kind of play like we do, to be honest with you. ... They've been knocking on the door just like we have, and they play with a fire and a passion and a toughness that's very impressive."
Region foe Southeastern played before the Warriors took the floor against Odessa. They fell 62-56, with Odessa leading whistle-to-whistle. Southeastern pulled within four points late but couldn't break closer. Jaylen Searles and Davion Bailey led their scoring with 14 points each.
Kyle Ocker is the editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at kocker@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kyle_Ocker.
