JUCO basketball: Dawson stuns No. 6 IHCC in North Central district final

Ottumwa Courier, Iowa
·2 min read
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Apr. 11—OTTUMWA — Curtis Jones and Tyrese Nickelson both missed shots in the final seconds for sixth-ranked Indian Hills on Saturday night in the NJCAA North Central district championship game, allowing Dawson to clinch a trip the men's basketball national tournament with a 68-67 win over the Warriors.

Late field goals by Cordell Stinson and JaJuan Tot allowed Dawson to maintain a lead over the Warriors after Indian Hills cut a 17-point second-half deficit down to two. Curtis Jones got the Warriors back within one, banking in a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left.

Michael Jok was fouled with 11 seconds left, but failed to hit the first attempt of a 1-and-1. Chris Payton rebounded the ball, giving IHCC a chance to win the district title and automatic national tournament berth with a field goal. Jones was double-teamed in the corner and, without a timeout left, was forced to fire a desperation 3-pointer that hit the back of the rim.

Nickelson, who scored 13 points while helping to lead the Warriors back into the game, slashed to the basket with time running out. The second-year IHCC sophomore collected the miss by Jones and put a shot back up that would have won the game. The shot rimmed out, allowing Dawson to celebrate a national tournament berth.

Tyem Freeman led IHCC, scoring a game-high 20 points in the loss. Jones added 11 points while Payton recorded a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double in what might be his final game in a Warrior basketball uniform.

Kennedy Brown came off the bench to lead Dawson with 15 points. Michael Jok added 14 points while Cordell Stinson scored 10.

While Dawson (23-2) knows they will be part of the 24-team field at the 2021 NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Tournament, sixth-ranked Indian Hills (21-3) will have to wait until Sunday night to find out if the Warriors have done enough to secure one of eight at-large berth. The announcement of the full field and pairings for the national tournament, scheduled to be played Apr. 19-24 in Hutchinson, Kansas, will be announced Sunday at 6 p.m.