One day after knocking out the 2019 national championship team, Kaleb Higgins and Holmes Community College of Mississippi ran into the buzzsaw that is the second-seeded team in the National Junior College Athletic Association men's basketball tournament.
Higgins scored 12 points, had five assists and totaled four rebounds, but the 2019 Pine Bluff High School graduate could not get the Bulldogs over the hump Tuesday as Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa took a 77-66 victory in the second round of the tournament in Hutchinson, Kan.
Higgins played 35 minutes and shot 4 for 10 from the floor but went 0 for 5 from 3-point range and made 4 of 6 free throws. Tyler Talley and Darrius Clark each had 13 points to lead Holmes.
Tyrel Morgan led Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa with 26 points.
Although a sophomore, Higgins is eligible to return for a third season at Holmes under the NJCAA covid-19 policy. He has attracted offers to Division I mid-major programs.