2021 Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout - December 27 through 29
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Indian Hills Community College (13-4, 0-0) | 48 | 40 | 88 |
|
Mesa Community College (3-8, 1-5) | 43 | 20 | 63 |
Indian Hills Community College
| Game Statistics | Indian Hills Community College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (31-65) | (22-55) |
| Field Goal % | 47.7% | 40.0% |
| Rebounds | 37 | 31 |
| Assists | 19 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 18 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 26 | 8 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 6 | 5 |
| Pts in the Paint | 42 | 28 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 18 | 8 |
| Bench Pts | 48 | 12 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Snow College (10-3, 1-2) | 41 | 40 | 81 |
|
Mesa Community College (3-7, 1-5) | 17 | 34 | 51 |
Snow College
| Game Statistics | Snow College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (36-74) | (16-54) |
| Field Goal % | 48.6% | 29.6% |
| Rebounds | 53 | 24 |
| Assists | 16 | 9 |
| Turnovers | 13 | 16 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 13 | 8 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 16 | 0 |
| Pts in the Paint | 58 | 16 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 8 | 6 |
| Bench Pts | 33 | 28 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Midland College (9-4, 2-0) | 27 | 27 | 7 | 61 |
|
Mesa Community College (3-6, 1-5) | 25 | 29 | 10 | 64 |
Midland College
| Game Statistics | Midland College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (23-60) | (24-49) |
| Field Goal % | 38.3% | 49.0% |
| Rebounds | 29 | 25 |
| Assists | 11 | 12 |
| Turnovers | 16 | 18 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 21 | 16 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 12 | 6 |
| Pts in the Paint | 30 | 32 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 6 | 6 |
| Bench Pts | 17 | 33 |
MESA, AZ - The Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout returns for its 33rd year; first time since 2019, this Monday, December 27 through Wednesday, December 29 inside of Theo Heap Gymnasium on the campus of Mesa Community College. The year's field includes eight schools from five different states (Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Iowa, and Texas).
The schools participating this season are: Mesa Community College, Glendale Community College, Salt Lake Community College, New Mexico College, Snow College, Indian Hills Community College, South Plains College, and Midland College. Coming into tournament play, all eight schools sport a combined record of 65-28. Three of the schools are currently ranked in the Top 15, including Division I #1 Salt Lake Community College; who currently sport a perfect 14-0 record.
Day 1 (Monday, December 27) Schedule:
2:00pm - Game 1 - (#1) Salt Lake vs. Glendale
4:00pm - Game 2 - New Mexico JC vs. (#8) Indian Hills
6:00pm - Game 3 - (RV) Midland vs. Mesa
8:00pm - Game 4 - South Plains vs. (#15) Snow
Team Scouting Report:
Mesa Community College: The tournament hosts, Mesa Thunderbirds enter play with an overall record of 2-6. MCC last played on Saturday, December 18 when they defeated Williston State by a final of 67-62. The T-Birds are a young squad with only one returning player; sophomore guard BJ Burries. Mesa is led by interim head coach Jimmy Herrera who is in the first season at the helm after serving as the top assistant for former head coach Sam Ballard, who retired in September. Ballard led the Thunderbird program for 12 seasons. Ballard's record at MCC was 223-136,despite facing several handicaps such as facing an NJCAA Division I schedule, but following Division II rules.
Glendale Community College: The Gauchos from Glendale Community College come into tournament play sporting a 9-3 overall mark. All three losses have come in Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) play. The Gauchos come into tournament play losing three of their last four games. Prior to the holiday break, GCC defeated Taylor Made Prep 90-69 back on Monday, December 13. Glendale has a young squad and only four sophomores. The Gauchos are led by second year head coach Ken Carrillo.
Salt Lake Community College: The Salt Lake Bruins come into the tournament ranked #1 overall in the latest NJCAA DI Men's Basketball Poll, released back on December 13. The Bruins are a perfect 14-0 overall, 4-0 on the road, and 2-0 in neutral site games. SLCC is led by Kyle Taylor, who is in his third season at the helm of the Bruins. Taylor's squad has just 5 sophomores and 12 freshmen. As a team, the Bruins average 110 points per game and allow a little over 73 points per game. SLCC has already defeated three teams in this tournament field, that includes a 93-66 win over Midland back on November 17, then the Bruins defeated New Mexico Junior College the next day 69-67. Salt Lake's last game prior to the holiday break was a 94-64 win over Snow College on Saturday, December 18.
New Mexico Junior College: The New Mexico Junior College Thunderbirds come into play in the shootout with a 7-5 overall record; having dropped their last two contests. New Mexico is led by second year head coach Luke Adams. In his first season, Adams led the Thunderbirds to a 21-10 record, including wins over two top 10 ranked teams, Odessa and South Plains. This year's Thunderbirds are young, having only three sophomores on the roster. The T-Birds are 0-3 on the road, but are 4-2 in neutral site games. The Thunderbirds have four players averaging in double-figure scoring, led by sophomore Jordan Booker's 18.1 ppg.
Snow College: The 15th ranked Snow College Badgers out of Ephraim, Utah come into tournament play with a 9-2 record, having lost last Saturday against Salt Lake Community College. Snow College is averaging 83 points per game and has five players averaging double-figures scoring. The Badgers are led by Hagen Wright's 16.5 ppg and Chase Potter's 16.3 ppg.
Indian Hills Community College: The 8th ranked Indian Hills Warriors out of Ottumwa, IA coming into tournament play with an 11-3 overall record. The Warriors have won three straight games and six out of their last seven games. Indian Hills is led by sixth year head coach Hank Plona. He currently ranks second in all-time wins at Indian Hills (169-24), trailing only Terry Carroll (269-50), who coached from 1989-98. IHCC has also claimed six consecutive ICCAC regular-season championships (tying for first in 2018-19), five postseason conference titles and three district championships under Plona's tutelage. The Warriors average 77 points per game and have a well balanced offense; with only two players averaging in double-figures scoring. Sophomore guard Taj Anderson leads IHCC with 12.3 ppg, all while coming off the bench. Anderson hasn't started in any of the 11 games he has appeared in.
South Plains College: The South Plains College Texans are off to a slow start in 2021, starting the year at 4-5 overall. The Texans are led by head coach Steve Green, who begins his 22nd season leading the Texan basketball team, where he has compiled a record of 530 wins and 140 losses. The Texans are composed of five sophomores and nine freshmen. South Plains averages over 71 points per game and has three players currently averaging in double-figure scoring. Freshman Kieves Turner leads the way for the Texans with 14 ppg.
Midland College: The Midland College Chaparrals come into the shootout currently receiving votes in the latest NJCAA DI Men's Basketball Poll. Midland enters play with a record of 9-3; having won their last three contests. Midland is 1-0 on the road this season and 3-2 in neutral site games. The Chaps are led by head coach Pat Rafferty, who is in his fourth season at the helm of Midland College. The Chaparrals are the second youngest team in the field; only Mesa is younger, having one sophomore. The Chaps currently have only two sophomores on their roster and have only three players currently averaging double-figure points per game. Freshman Franklin Agu leads the way for the Chaps with 14.2 ppg.
Games are scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 2, 4, 6 and 8 pm. All of the games will be live streamed on T-Bird Sports Live. To see the complete tournament info, bracket, broadcast links and teams participating, click on the official tournament link below.