Men's Basketball Defeats Benedictine 96-95

The Nelson Warriors' Men's Basketball team (2-1) secured a heart-stopping road victory, edging the previously undefeated Benedictine Redhawks (3-1) 96-95 in a Tuesday night thriller that required two cold-blooded free throws from "Clutch" Keron Bailey.

"My heart is still pounding," a near breathless head coach Kole Ebert exclaimed following his team's exhilarating victory. "This was a tough, tough, gritty win for these young men. Benedictine gave them everything in their arsenal and we took every hit. I could not be more proud of how we responded to such a poor start today."

Digging themselves an early deficit, the Warriors trailed 7-0 just 72 seconds in when Benedictine came out firing on both ends of the floor, opening up 3-3 from the field and tacking advantage of two quick Nelson turnovers. But Nelson flipped the script with a 14-6 surge over the next three minutes, a signature of coach Ebert's, seizing the lead and building it to as many as 13 points in the first half. Unwilling to roll over before their raucous crowd, the Redhawks managed to claw back late in the half, trimming the deficit to four at the break and setting the stage for a second-half slugfest.

The final 20 minutes were a back-and-forth battle, with neither team able to pull away decisively — the Warriors couldn't extend beyond their four-point edge, while Benedictine grabbed a couple of brief two-point leads but couldn't sustain momentum.

Tension peaked in the closing moments when Isaiah Howard drained a three-pointer to give the Redhawks a 95-92 advantage with 1:02 left. Ever the cool competitor, Terrin Ross answered en kind, sinking two free throws to pull Nelson within one. After Howard's miss with 16 seconds remaining, the Warriors had one last shot to pull out the victory.

With just two ticks on the clock, Keron Bailey drew a foul, and amid the roaring Benedictine crowd, stepping to the line and calmly buried both attempts for a 96-95 lead, and ultimate victory. Howard managed one final desperate heave as time expired, which fell short, sealing the dramatic Warriors win.

All five Nelson starters reached double figures in a balanced offensive display, led by Bailey's game-high 25 points, along with 7 rebounds and 4 steals in a dominant all-around effort. Veterans Orlando Gonzales poured in 18 points, including a team-best three made three-pointers to control the perimeter, while fellow returnee Terrin Ross added 17 points and 5 rebounds, going a perfect 1-for-1 from beyond the arc. Zoe Holman stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals, while Wyatt Mackay added 11 points in just 18 efficient minutes. Off the bench, Calvin Windley sparked the reserves with 3 points, 5 rebounds, along with invaluable energy and toughness.

For the Redhawks, Howard finished with a team-high 24 points and 7 rebounds. Damian Zivak finished with 18 points and 4 rebounds, while Luis Martin, Malik Payton, and Eric Blackwell finished with 16, 15, and 11 points, respectively.

Up next for the Warriors is game-four of an early five-game road trip to open the season, at Fort Lewis in Durango, Colorado, on Saturday, November 8, at 7:30pm. The Warriors close out the road trip on November 10 at Northern New Mexico in Española. The Nelson home opener will be a 7pm tilt on November 14, in the Scott Activity Center.

Do not forget to follow Nelson Athletics on X at @NelsonWarriors and Instagram at @nelsonwarriors.athletics.