JUCO basketball: Warriors win in debut as top-ranked team

Ottumwa Courier, Iowa
·2 min read

Nov. 26—CASPER, Wyo. — Playing for the first time as the top-ranked team in the nation since the 2017-18 season, the Indian Hills men's basketball team pulled away in the second half for a 94-69 victory over Casper College at the Vista Auto Thanksgiving Classic, improving to 10-0 on the season.

The Warriors took over the top spot of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I poll after a win over defending national champion Northwest Florida State, the previous No. 1 team in the nation. On Friday, Indian Hills outscored Casper 65-39 over the final 27 minutes of action to remain unbeaten on the year through 10 games with three road wins. The Warriors have defeated six opponents by at least 19 points on the year.

Sophomore David Jones led the Warriors with a season-high 22 points on Friday, including 12 in the second half. Don McHenry, the team's leading scorer on the year, poured in 18 while Ryan Myers added 13 points. Ames native Trevion LaBeaux added 12 for Indian Hills.

Taking on the Thunderbirds for the second time in as many years, the two sides battled back-and-forth in the early stages of the first half Friday night in the Swede Erickson Gym. LaBeaux knocked down a long-range jumper to put Indian Hills ahead 12-11, but neither side led by more than two over the next 10 minutes.

The Warriors slowly built momentum and a three-point shot from Eddiean Tirado gave the Warriors a 37-30 edge. Lado Laku gave Indian Hills its largest lead of the half, a 47-36 edge, with a basket in the closing seconds of the first half.

Indian Hills continued to dispatch the home team in the opening minutes of the second half and extended its lead down the stretch. The Warriors outscored the Thunderbirds by 14 in the final half to secure the win.

Jones' best performance of the season for the Warriors saw the sophomore corral a game-high 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the year. Laku teamed up with Jones in the paint to add seven rebounds and three blocked shots as the Warriors outrebounded the Thunderbirds 50-39. The Warriors' play in the post also included a 58-18 advantage in points in the paint.

Indian Hills shot a season-high 56.7 percent from the floor while holding the opposition to just 30.1 percent. The Warriors are now limiting their opponents to just 34.7 percent shooting on the year, the second-lowest mark among all teams in the nation.