Kirkwood Mens Basketball

Eagles push Indian Hills to limit

OTTUMWA - The Kirkwood men's basketball team gave one of the top junior college programs in the country a real battle Saturday night before falling short.

Indian Hills trimmed the Eagles, 94-89, in a shootout at the Blackwell Tire Classic at the Indian Hills gym in Ottumwa.

Indian Hills is ranked No. 5 in the country at the NJCAA Division I level and has five players who have committed to major four-year colleges. Kirkwood is ranked No. 7 at the NJCAA Division II level and has no major college commitments at this point.

Najeal Young tossed in 26 points and Kasey Semler added 23 for the Eagles (1-1). Young, a 6-5 freshman from Milwaukee, made nine field goals and was 8 for 12 at the foul line. Semler, a 6-1 sophomore from Marion, made four 3-pointers.

Indian Hills led 45-38 at halftime and scored the first 11 points of the second half to grab a 56-38 advantage. Kirkwood responded with a 20-2 run and tied the game, 58-58.

Kirkwood took a 70-69 lead on two free throws by Semler. Indian Hills led 88-87 with two minutes left and managed to put the game away.

Ronald Ross, a 6-foot-4 guard from Indianapolis, led the Warriors (2-0) with 17 points. Gary Williams Jr., a 6-4 guard from Oakland, Calif., scored 16 points.

The five Indian Hills players who have committed to NCAA Division I schools are Jameel McKay (Marquette), Richard Amardi (Iowa State), Trinson White (Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Jelan Kendrick (UNLV) and Dustin Hogue (Iowa State).

Indian Hills plays at Kirkwood on Tuesday, Dec. 4.

KIRKWOOD (89): Hunter 2 1-2 5, Young 9 8-12 26, Witt 2 0-0 4, Fuller 3 0-0 7, Heffernan 1 2-2 4, Olson 1 1-2 3, Douglas 4 0-1 9, Semler 6 7-7 23, Currie 1 2-5 4, Lang 1 0-0 2. Totals 31 21-28 89.

INDIAN HILLS (94): McKay 3 5-11 11, Amardi 2 1-2 5, White 0 2-2 2, G. Williams 5 5-5 16, Ross 6 3-5 17, Kendrick 3 5-6 11, Moss 3 1-1 7, Hogue 2 10-13 14, F. Williams 3 0-0 9, Stevens 1 0-0 2. Totals 28 32-45 94.

Halftime - Indian Hills 45, Kirkwood 38. 3-point goals - Kirkwood 6 (Semler 4, Fuller 1, Douglas 1), Indian Hills 6 (F. Williams 3, Ross 2, G. Williams 1).

Semler nets 20 as No. 7 Eagles roll

OTTUMWA - Kasey Semler made five 3-pointers and scored 20 points Friday as the Kirkwood Eagles opened the season with a 102-50 romp past the William Penn junior varsity at the Indian Hills Classic.

Jalen Currie scored 16 points, J.C. Fuller netted 15 points and Devan Douglas had 13 for Kirkwood.

The seventh-ranked Eagles led at halftime, 55-22.

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No. 7 Kirkwood men open year Friday

The Kirkwood Eagles have a 6-foot-11 center from Nigeria who resembles former NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson at times with a left-handed baby hook near the basket.

Unfortunately for Kirkwood, Henry Uwadiae is academically ineligible this season and won't be able to play for the Eagles until next year.

It's doubly unfortunate, because 6-foot-8 sophomore center Matt Tiby won't play for Kirkwood in their first two games this weekend due to a violation of team rules. That leaves the Eagles a little shorthanded as they begin the new campaign.

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Taylor Olson finds new home at Kirkwood

Taylor Olson thought about living at home this year while he played basketball at Kirkwood Community College, but then he had second thoughts.

"I was going to live at home, but everybody else was on campus so I decided to be with the team," he said Friday night.

It looks like he's quickly found a new home with the Eagles.

Olson started at point guard for Kirkwood in its scrimmage against Coe College at Johnson Hall Friday and looked especially sharp with his passing and ballhandling.

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