OTTUMWA — No matter where. No matter when.
The Indian Hills basketball team has a way to win that works no matter the time and no matter the place.
Back on the court for their first game in 20 days and back on the floor at the Hellyer Student Life Center for the first time in over three weeks, the ninth-ranked Warriors picked right back up where they left off before the holiday break. Indian Hills led early, pulled away before halftime and answered back when Wabash Valley made a move midway through the second half using a balanced attack on both ends of the court once again to put away a victory as IHCC clinched an 84-59 win on Saturday afternoon in a unexpected matinee as the battle of the Warriors was moved up six hours so Wabash Valley could avoid having to drive through any potential winter weather.
“I was pleased with our aggressiveness and our defensive intensity,” Indian Hills head coach Cole Dewey said. “That’s all we had been working on during the last three days of practice was ball pressure. We did a really good job hard-hedging ball screens. That let us get out in transition whenever they (Wabash Valley) turned the ball over.”
Ultimately, the biggest difference in the game was the ability of Indian Hills to play aggressive defense without fouling. The Warriors were able to stymie Wabash Valley, making it tough to drive the ball to the basket forcing the visitors from Illinois to settle for long jumpers including just three makes in 21 attempts from beyond the 3-point line.
Indian Hills capitalized on a 45-32 rebounding edge, including 34 defensive rebounds to only seven offensive boards by Wabash Valley, by bringing the ball back down the court quickly after the stops. Wabash Valley struggled to match IHCC’s ability to defend physically without fouling, sending the Warriors to the charity stripe 43 times in the game including 28 times in the first half as Indian Hills was in the bonus within the first six minutes of each half.
“I feel like our team is good at picking up on things like that. We notice when someone’s got to work extra hard to stay with us and we don’t shy away from it,” IHCC redshirt freshman Amonte Allen-Johnson said. “We just try to put the pressure on teams as much as possible and take advantage of it.”
Almost half of IHCC’s points in the first half came from the free throw line as Indian Hills outscored Wabash Valley 21-8 from the charity stripe, opening a 43-27 halftime lead. The Warriors used five steals in the first seven minutes of the second half to help widen the gap over Wabash Valley, opening a 60-39 lead with 12:45 left on a 3-pointer by Kayden Nation.
“I was pleased with how we played defensively throughout the game,” Dewey said. “If we made a few lay-ups in the first half, the lead might have been even bigger. I never really felt like we truly blew the game wide open.”
That allowed Wabash Valley to make a run of their own, scoring six straight points on lay-ups by Muja Burton and Tamorrian Grigsby as Indian Hills went scoreless for nearly three minutes. It was during that run that Dewey turned to his bench, bringing in five new players with 11:01 left and the Warriors hanging on to a 60-43 lead.
“We just went in with a different group. That group that was in when (Wabash Valley) started cutting into our lead, I thought that their intensity level had dropped off a little bit,” Dewey said. “It’s hard to keep playing with that same level of intensity when you’re 18 or 19 years old and you’re up by 20 points. We went with a different group and tried to pick it back up.”
Costello, sporting a new look with a buzz-cut and headband, helped right the ship for the homestanding Warriors with a pair of clutch jumpers as part of a game-high 15-point effort. The freshman from Waukee ended IHCC’s scoring drought with a 3-pointer from the corner with 9:57 left to put Indian Hills up 63-45 before sinking another long jumper with 8:22 left to open a 19-point lead.
“The score is a big factor, but I try to zone the score out and just keep playing basketball,” Costello said. “I just keep trying to play the way I’ve been taught. If the shot comes, the shot comes. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Either way, I try not to let that bother me. I feel like if you think about it too much, it can alter the way you play.”
Wabash Valley never got closer than 18 points the rest of the way. Besides sinking five of eight field goals, three consecutive 3-pointers and a pair of free throws, Costello made the most of his only assist in the contest finding Vladyslav Semerych for an electrifying dunk with 4:36 left giving IHCC a 71-51 lead.
“I’ve got confidence in Vlad to go finish it anytime I throw him the ball,” Costello said. “It was pretty awesome to see. He came back on the next possession and found me for a 3-pointer. Vlad knows how to play basketball. He’s got a really great IQ on the court. He knows how to play the game the right way.”
William Beugre-Kassi added 12 points and a team-leading eight rebounds while Jamal Entezami scored 11 points, including the first two of the contest seconds after winning the game’s opening tip-off. Allen-Johnson added 11 points, sinking a pair of late jumpers at the end of a 22-10 run late in the second half stretching IHCC’s lead to 82-55 with just under two minutes left.
“We made sure over the holiday break that everyone was still in a gym doing something to be ready to get back at it,” Allen-Johnson said. “We had a lot of good practices leading up this game. As you can see, it worked out well for us.”
Burton led Wabash Valley with 14 points. Khore Furlow added 11 points for the visiting Warriors, who fell to 7-7 with the loss.
Ninth-ranked Indian Hills, now 15-3 on the season, will be back on the court in Illinois on Tuesday at Sauk Valley. The Warriors then return home next Saturday to open Iowa Community College Athletic Conference play against Marshalltown.
