Above: With the score 56-59 and 12.9 seconds on the clock Southeastern Community College players Davion Bailey (5) Jaylen Searles (2) Deng Deang (22) Jack Wetzel (30) and Jhonny Tovar (34) head to the sideline for a timeout during their game against Indian Hills Community College, Saturday, Jan. 14 at SCC's Loren Walker Arena. SCC lost 56-59. Photo/John Lovretta
By Joe Geren
The seventh-ranked Indian Hills men’s basketball team only led for seven minutes and 22 seconds Saturday night at Loren Walker Arena, but it was the last 7:22.
The Warriors toppled No. 18 Southeastern Community College, 59-56, in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference game.
Don McHenry’s 3-pointer gave Indian Hills a 49-48 edge and the Warriors increased it to a 56-48 margin. SCC then scored eight of the last 11 points, but it wasn’t enough. A 3-point play by Jaylen Searles, then two Davion Bailey free throws with 25.5 seconds remaining pulled SCC to within a point at 56-57. Trevion LeBeaux’s putback with 13 seconds left iced the victory for Indian Hills.
The game snapped SCC’s winning streak at 10 games. It was Indian Hills’ second straight win. Indian Hills is 17-2 (1-0); SCC fell to 16-4 (0-1).
SCC led 32-20 at halftime, but two Blackhawk turnovers at the start of the second half allowed Indian Hills a seven-point run.
Above: Southeastern Community College's Railer Vargas (32) dunks the ball during their game against Indian Hills Community College. Photo/John Lovretta
“The first three or four minutes of the second half, that was the game,” SCC head coach Lorenzo Watkins said. ”We came out lackadaisical and turned the ball over, missed shots, easy shots, and (Indian Hills) got going. They hit some big shots down the stretch.”
Indian Hills didn’t change anything at halftime, Watkins said.
“I just thought we weren’t strong with the ball,” he said. “We turned the ball over for layups and we didn’t finish the easy shots. Our guys played well defensively. I mean, hold them to 19 percent shooting (in the first half) and then second half they go seven of 15 (from 3-point range). That’s the difference in the game. When you give up that many 3-point shots after one in 12 in the first half that’s the difference in the game.”
McHenry led all scorers with 19 points and Truth Harris added 17. Nine Warriors scored.
Just six Blackhawks reached the scoring column. Bailey and Jack Wetzel scored 13 points each, Searles had 12, Isaiah Griffin and Jhonny Tovar-Mendez each scored eight points and Railer Vargas-Hernandez added two points.
Indian Hills had 52 rebounds to SCC’s 50. Searles and Vargas-Hernandez each grabbed seven boards. Searles had three assists and two blocked shots. Tovar-Mendez also blocked two shots.
SCC returns to action Saturday, hosting Marshalltown in a 7 p.m. ICCAC game.
Above: Southeastern Community College's Jack Wetzel (5) takes the ball down the court. Photo/John Lovretta