Men's Basketball

WARIORS SET FOR FIESTA BOWL IN ARIZONA

WARIORS SET FOR FIESTA BOWL IN ARIZONA
Posted: Dec 26, 2021

2021 FIESTA BOWL JUNIOR COLLEGE SHOOTOUT HOMEPAGE

Mesa, AZ – After a 16-day hiatus, the No. 8 Indian Hills Men's Basketball team is set to return to action at the 2021 Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout, hosted by Mesa Community College in Mesa, AZ. The Warriors open up play on Monday against New Mexico Junior College.

The three-day event at Theo Heap Gymnasium tips off Monday afternoon with four games featuring four nationally ranked teams. Indian Hills and New Mexico are scheduled for the second game of the day at 5:00 PM CST / 4:00 PM MST. The opening game features No. 1 nationally ranked Salt Lake Community College (UT) and Glendale Community College (AZ). Game three pairs Midland College (TX), receiving votes in the latest national poll and host Mesa followed by South Plains College  (TX) and No. 15 Snow College (UT).

"This week is going to be a great test for us," stated head coach Hank Plona. "We're going to learn exactly where we are at as a team. We're either going to learn that we can be a national championship contender or we are going to learn that we are a ways off from that. Playing three games in three days will reveal a lot about our character and toughness as a team."

The Warriors are no strangers to the Fiesta Bowl, having won the tournament title back in December 2017. Indian Hills topped all three opponents – College of Central Florida, Mesa, and South Plains by an average of 19.0 points to claim the trophy.

The 11-3 Warriors enter the shootout ranked No. 8 in the latest national rankings after winning three straight to close out the pre-holiday portion of its schedule. Indian Hills put together two of its top three scoring efforts of the season in its last two contests, a 97-64 win over Lake Region State College (ND) and a 92-58 win over Northeast Community College (NE), both at the Hy-Vee Classic at the Hellyer Center.

Indian Hills' defense has been at the forefront of its success through the team's 14 games as the Warriors rank fourth in the nation in in opponents' field goal percentage with a 34.6 percent clip while allowing just 63.4 points per contest.

Four different Warriors are averaging 9.4 points per game or more on the year, led by Taj Anderson's (Queens, NY/Quality Education) 12.3 points per game. Freshman Enoch Kalambay (Gatineau, Canada/Orangeville Prep) has played a critical role for the Warriors down the stretch with double-digit scoring efforts in each of his last four contests. Kalambay was recognized as the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Athlete of the Week on Dec. 14.

The Thunderbirds of New Mexico enter the Fiesta Bowl with a 7-5 record, having dropped their last two contests. Head coach Luke Adams' squad is averaging 80.2 points per game. Jordan Booker leads the Thunderbirds with 18.1 points per game and ranks fifth in the nation with 5.9 free throws made per game.

"New Mexico is one of the most talented teams in junior college," Plona noted. "Jordan Booker, Devin Buttes, Mouhamed, Mbaye, Dario Domingos, and Josaphat Bilau are very, very high-level talents, and Elijah Beard and Tommy Chatman can really shoot it. That is as strong of a core group as we will see all year, and we need to have our best effort to get a win on Monday."

Labelled as "America's best Junior College Invitational Tournament", the Fiesta Bowl has attracted some of the top teams from around the nation since 1983. South Plains has won four of the last five tournament titles, with the lone exception being the Warriors' 2017 championship. After a one-year break last season due to COVID-19, the Fiesta Bowl returns for the 2021 season.

"Playing in a tournament with such a high-level field is great for our players and our community," Plona added. "We work 365 days a year to try and be the top program in junior college, and playing in these events is how you make that happen. We're excited to play in a tournament with elite programs and we are looking forward to seeing where we stack up."

The winner of Indian Hills and New Mexico will play at 9:00 PM CST / 8:00 PM MST on Tuesday while the loser will play at 3:00 PM CST / 2:00 PM MST. The tournament wraps up Wednesday with the championship game slated for 9:00 PM CST / 8:00 PM MST.

Fans of Indian Hills will be able catch all of the action live via GoHillsTV.

Live stats will be available via the Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout Homepage.