Nelson Men Fall to Spirit

The Nelson Warriors' Men's Basketball team (6-4) ran into a defensive buzzsaw Saturday night in the Scott Activity Center, falling 67-55 to the Ottawa Spirit in the lowest-scoring outing for Nelson since dropping 57 points in the NCCAA National Tournament semifinal on March 21, 2024.

"We just didn't get out of the gates the way we wanted," commented head coach Kole Ebert following the game. "The first half was all Ottawa and we dug ourselves a hole the we couldn't climb out of. This is the second straight game that we struggled in the first half. We have to get better at playing a full 40-minute game the way we know we can."

The first half was a struggle from the opening tip. Nelson looked out of sync, coughing up 12 turnovers and shooting a frigid 5-of-25 from the floor while Ottawa's crisp offense carved through the Warriors' defense, hitting open shots and building a commanding 16-point halftime lead. When the buzzer sounded, Nelson had managed only 19 points, the fewest in any half in program-history, and the hole was deep.

The second half was more competitive, with both teams shooting around 50%. Unfortunately, the early damage proved too much to overcome against an Ottawa squad that swarmed defensively, contesting everything at the rim and altering countless more shots than the official seven blocks reflected. Deflections, disrupted possessions, and hard fouls made clean looks in the paint a rarity, with a great number of them fluttering towards the rim without the force and accuracy Warriors fans have come to know and expect from their beloved squad.

To compound matters, Calvin Windley (8p/8r/1a/1s), a key spark all season, went down with a shin injury with 6:16 remaining and did not return. In a show of tremendous sportsmanship, following the game, the entirety of both teams came to wish their comrade well, each of them, to a man, patting his shoulder or shaking his hand before leaving the court.

Despite the final score, the Warriors showed grit and resolve by competing toe-to-toe in the second half and refusing to fold.

Zoe Holman did everything he could to carry the squad offensively, scoring a game-high 17 points, struggling mightily against the Spirit's swarming defense, making just 5-16 from the field and turning the ball over 7 times, although nailing a superb 7-8 from the charity stripe. Chase Pavey finished with 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Terrin Ross finished with 9 points and 6 rebounds in his return to action after missing the previous outing with a toe injury. Wyatt Mackay rounded out the scoring by the starting lineup, finishing with 8 points and 5 rebounds.

Tyran Simpson finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds for the Spirit, with Zeke Viuhkola and Carter Gittens finished with 15 and 13 points, respectively.

The Warriors do not return home until December 30, when they take on Justice Lions.

Up next will be at Park University on December 2.

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