JUCO basketball: IHCC continues dominance in Iowa-Missouri Challenge
Nov. 13—POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Fifth-ranked Indian Hills improved to 6-0 on the season and 6-0 all-time in the Iowa-Missouri Challenge, rallying from a slow start to secure an 81-59 win over State Fair on Saturday. The Warriors picked up its fifth consecutive win to open the new year on Friday as the Warriors rolled to an 86-66 victory over Three Rivers.
The Warriors move to 5-0 overall on the year after rolling past Three Rivers in Friday's Iowa-Missouri Challenge nightcap, improving to 5-0 all-time at the Iowa-Missouri Challenge which began in 2019. The Warriors previously defeated Three Rivers in the Iowa-Missouri Challenge in the inaugural year with a 87-58 victory on Nov. 8, 2019.
Freshman Kiran Oliver scored 18 points for the Warriors after going 7-9 from the floor, including 4-6 from three-point range. Sophomore Don McHenry came off the bench to add 18 for the Warriors while going 8-12 from the floor. McHenry connected on two of three three-point shots in the win.
Sophomore Lado Laku was a perfect 4-4 from the floor to finish the night with 11 points. Sophomore Eddiean Tirado hit three three-point shots and finished the night with 10 points.
As a team, the Warriors connected on 56.7 percent of its shots, going 34-67 from the floor. The sharp-shooting Indian Hills squad also converted 14 of its 30 shots from beyond the arc and are now shooting 43.7 percent from three-point range in the team's five contests this year.
In the opening night finale of the Iowa-Missouri Challenge, the Warriors jumped out to a measurable lead over the Raiders in the early stages of the first half. McHenry connected on his first three shots of the night, including a pair of three-point shots to spark the Warrior offense. Indian Hills took a sizable 44-21 lead into halftime.
The three-point shooting barrage continued for the Warriors in the second to extend the team's lead to 27 in the opening minute, the team's largest of the night. The Indian Hills defense limited Three Rivers to just 2-12 from beyond the arc in the second half after not allowing a three in the opening frame. The Warriors ran away with the second half and carried out the way to remain unbeaten on the year.
The Warriors totaled 36 points from its bench players on the night and are now averaging 48.4 points per game from its bench this season.
Kalambay scored a team-high 23 points on Saturday with 17 of those coming during the second-half surge for the Warriors. Kalambay added five rebounds and a pair of steals for Indian Hills.
McHenry scored 14 in the first half and finished the night with 20 points. Sophomore Eddiean Tirado hit three three-point shots to finish with 11 points.
Tirado opened up the night with a corner three-point shot just 19 seconds into the game to give Indian Hills a 3-0 lead. The lead was shortlived as State Fair responded and eventually pulled away throughout the first half, building a lead by as much as 12.
The Roadrunners carried its lead into halftime with a 37-32 edge. Kalambay sparked the Warrior rally from the initial inbound to open the second half as the sophomore scored eight straight to open the frame, including a pair of three-point shots.
The Warriors eventually took back the lead at the 16:59 mark on a Trevion LaBeaux lay-in. On the next possession, Kalambay went coast-to-coast for the bucket and the Warriors never looked back.
Indian Hills led by as much a 25 after shooting 61.3-percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes. The Warriors used a sizable advantage in the paint with a 44-8 edge over the Roadrunners down low while the IHCC bench outscored State Fair 51-9.
Laku blocked a season-high five shots in the win. David Jones added a team-high seven rebounds and four points.
The Warriors now return home to face its biggest challenge of the year as No. 1 nationally ranked Northwest Florida State College comes to the Hellyer Center on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The defending national champion Raiders edged IHCC, 65-64, in the second round of last year's NJCAA Division I national tournament.
