Warriors Open Hoops in Hawaii Holiday Classic with Loss to Midland

The Nelson Warriors' Men's Basketball team (7-8) opened the "Hoops in Hawaii" Holiday Classic with a heartbreaking 61-57 loss to the Midland Warriors in a rough, low-scoring affair whose outcome came down to a late cold spell before a victor could be determined.

"I don't think either squad played particularly well today," noted Nelson head coach Kole Ebert following his team's loss. "We have a lot we need to work on and not a lot of time to work on it. We'll talk about today as a squad and every player and coach will at times have time to themselves to think about how they can improve. Hopefully we all come back against Grace tomorrow more focused and ready to play."

In the first half, finding the hoop was about as difficult as picking a lottery number as neither team was able to score with any modicum of consistency or rhythm in the thick tropical air. Nelson eked out a slim 23-21 advantage at the break behind tenacious rebounding and patient possessions, holding Midland to limited looks despite the Warriors' own ice-cold shooting (25.8% in the opening 20 minutes).

Shots remained hard to come by after halftime (Nelson finished at 36.7% from the field, Midland at 40.4%) but the Warriors maintained a two-possession cushion for much of the second half. With 4:09 remaining, however, Nelson's offense froze, connecting on just two field goals the rest of the way while Midland capitalized with timely buckets to seize the lead and hold off a late Nelson push for the four-point win.

The deep ball proved particularly elusive for Nelson, who went a frustrating 2-of-15 from beyond the arc despite taking eight more field-goal attempts from the field overall. Both teams took care of the basketball, with Midland committing 14 turnovers and Nelson just 13, while the Phoenix-based Warriors edged the steal battle 4-3. Blocks were rare (one apiece), and Midland controlled the glass 41-36.

Zoe Holman was the lone scorer in double-figures for Nelson finishing with 16 points on an efficient 7-12 shooting. Keron Bailey had a rare off-night of shooting, going just 3-12 from the field for 8 points, while snagging 10 rebounds in 22 minutes. Terrin Ross also struggled from the field, shooting 3-12, finishing with 8 points and 6 boards.

Midland was led in scoring by Jeff Rozelle III with 16 points, along with 11 rebounds, while Amari Rahaman had 14 points and Cole Peterson scored 11 points off the bench.

There is no rest for the weary as Nelson takes on Grace College at 2pm to finish up the brief Hawaii-based tournament.

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