No. 13 WARRIORS TOP GRIZZLIES IN IA-MO CHALLENGE
(Friday November 12, 2021)
(content from Indian Hills sports information)
West Burlington, IA – A 10-2 run down the stretch lifted No. 13 Indian Hills Men’s Basketball to a 75-70 victory over Missouri State University-West Plains on the opening day of the Iowa-Missouri Challenge at Loren Walker Arena. The Warriors improve to 2-1 overall on the year.
Indian Hills led by nine at halftime and upped its lead to as many as 12 in the second half before the Grizzlies mounted a late comeback. With the Warriors trailing 68-65 late in the game, sophomore Taj Anderson (Queens, NY/Quality Education) buried a three-point shot to even the score with just 56 seconds on the clock. A late bucket from Ahren Freeman (Jacksonville, FL/New Orleans), and five free throws in the closing seconds secured the win for the nationally ranked Warriors.
Anderson and freshman Eddiean Tirado (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Miami Triple Threat Prep) led the Warriors with 16 points apiece on Friday night. The two combined to knock down eight three-point shots, including Tirado’s 5-11 performance from beyond the arc. Isaiah Marin (Phoenix, AZ/New Mexico) added 10 points and Freeman chipped in with seven points and a team-high seven rebounds. Sophomore Braxton Bayless (Ankeny, IA/Ankeny) contributed nine points and four assists for the Warriors.
Marin opened up his scoring on Friday night with a three-point shot to give Indian Hills an early 8-2 lead. The Warriors maintained a comfortable distance from the Grizzlies after a three from Tirado and another three from Marin to take a 19-10 advantage. As a team, the Warriors shot 42.9 percent from three-point range in the first half as Indian Hills took a 44-35 lead into the locker room.
Tirado and Marin continued to pace the offense in the second half for the Warriors. Tirado buried a series of three’s and Marin hit a driving layup to extend the lead back to 11, 59-48 with just over 12 to play. The Grizzlies responded with an 11-0 spurt of their own to tie the game up at 59 apiece.
Missouri State-West Plains eventually took its first lead of the night and increased the advantage to 68-65 with under two minutes to play. With the Warrior offense needing an answer, Anderson rose to the occasion and connected on a three with a defender’s hand in his face to event the score. After a defensive stop, Freeman’s bucket in the lane put Indian Hills back on top for good and the Warriors sealed the game at the free throw line.
With the loss, MSU-West Plains falls to 1-4. The hard knocks Grizzlies four losses have been to nationally ranked Coffeyville, Kilgore, Odessa, and now the Warriors.
As a team, the Warriors connected on 10 three-point shots and shot 73.9 percent from the free throw line.
Friday’s game was a part of the second annual Iowa-Missouri Challenge, an eight-team classic featuring three Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) programs, four Missouri schools, and Triton College (IL).
#13 Indian Hills wraps up the Challenge with a 5:00 PM contest vs. #20 Moberly Area Community College, who lost their first IA/MO game to SCC, 70-66. That game can be seen via GoHillsTV.
