Indians fall to Bulldogs in North Division showdown

Indians fall to Bulldogs in North Division showdown
Lee Adams/LetsGoICC.com

FULTON, MS – The Indians returned to division play Monday night, but were unable to pick up the win as they fell 81-78 to Holmes.

It was a back-and-forth battle in the first half with both teams holding the lead twice. However, the Bulldogs inched past the Indians to hold a 37-36 lead at halftime. The Indians trailed by as much as 11-points in the game, but rallied and pulled within 1-point, 52-51, with 10 minutes left in regulation after a Cody North (Tremont) free throw.

The Bulldogs extended their lead to 9-points with just over five minutes remaining, but then Lakee Westbrook (Shannon) got the hot hand hitting 3-pointers to put the Indians right back in striking distance. Trailing 79-74 with 45 second left to play, the Indians caught a break as Marcus Washington was giving a technical foul after his dunk. Westbrook drained both free throws, pulling the Indians within 3-points.

The Indians still trailed by 3-points with 3.2 left in regulation but had possession on their side of the court. Westbrook, who finished 6-7 from behind the arch, got a contested 3-pointer off right before the buzzer, but the shot lipped off the front of the rim and the Indians fell 81-78.

Westbrook led the Indians with 28-points, followed by Austin Timms (Mooreville) with 13 and Barri Hill (Jasper, AL) who chipped in 10-points. Daryl Macon, who is currently leading the nation in scoring, led the Bulldogs with 28-points.

The Indians will travel to Booneville Thursday night for a North Division rival showdown with Northeast. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game will be live streamed on LetsGoICC.com and can be heard on FM95 (95.7) and FM95radio.com with the Davis Ford Pregame show beginning at 7:10 p.m.

For more information on ICC men's basketball, follow the Indians on Twitter (@LetsGoICC).