Eagles drop tight battle with Indian Hills
The Kirkwood Eagles dropped a spirited battle against Indian Hills, 78-70, in a men's basketball game at Johnson Hall Wednesday night.
Kirkwood trailed by a single point, 71-70, with two minutes remaining, but the Warriors scored the final seven points to emerge with the hard-fought victory.
Indian Hills, ranked No. 12 in NJCAA Division I, bolted to a 17-4 lead to start the game, but Kirkwood pulled within 40-37 at halftime and grabbed a 41-40 advantage with the first two baskets of the season half.
Indian Hills (4-1) surged to a pair of nine-point leads, but the Eagles battled back again and grabbed a 63-61 advantage on a 3-pointer by Corvon Seales with six minutes left.
The game was tied, 66-66, with 4:19 remaining and remained tight until the Warriors finished with their 7-0 run.
Kirkwood, ranked No. 4 in NJCAA Division II, fell to 3-2 for the campaign. Jaden Keller led the Eagles with 20 points off the bench, including a 12-for-12 performance at the foul line.
Blake Brinkmeyer collected a double-double for Kirkwood with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Corvon Seales also scored 11 points.
Tyem Freemen led Indian Hills with 23 points. Taj Anderson netted 19.
INDIAN HILLS (78): Levar Williams 2 2-2 8, Taj Anderson 8 0-1 19, Curtis Jones 3 2-6 8, Chris Payton 3 0-1 7, Theo Bourgeois 0 0-0 0, Tyrese Nickelson 2 1-2 6, Braxton Bayless 2 2-2 6, Tyem Freeman 9 4-5 23, Gabe Oliveira 0 1-2 1. Totals 29 10-16 78.
KIRKWOOD (70): Noah King 3 0-0 7, Chris Burnell 1 0-0 2, Corvon Seales 4 0-0 11, Blake Brinkmeyer 5 1-2 11, Blessin Kimble 0 2-6 2, Cortaviaus Seales 3 1-2 9, Caleb Delzell 1 2-2 5, Joich Gong 1 0-0 3, Jaden Keller 4 1-2 12 20.
Halftime - Indian Hills 40, Kirkwood 37. 3-point goals - Indian Hills 10 (Anderson 3, Williams 2, Jones 2, Payton 1, Nickelson 1, Freeman 1), Kirkwood 8 (Corvon Seales 3, Cortaviaus Seales 2, King 1, Delzell 1, Gong).
