Warriors Win Second Straight by Wide Margin

The Nelson Warriors' Men's Basketball team (11-9) continued their home dominance with back-to-back 20-point blowouts, this time dismantling the Westcliff Warriors 80-60 before a lively home crowd at the Scott Athletic Center.

"This was a great team effort," celebrated head coach Kole Ebert following the victory. "I love being able to look at the score sheet after a game and see stats jump off the page for every player. Our starting unit played very well while our reserves each gave us timely minutes. I am proud of how these guys are coming together right now against a tough slate of opponents."

Nelson owned the game from the opening tip, never trailing, and using an early 7-0 run that set the tone, never looking back. The home Warriors built steadily throughout the first half, stretching the advantage to 18 points by halftime and carrying a commanding cushion into the locker room, behind a torrid performance from Calvin Windley who used his athleticism and sweet shooting to rip through the Westcliff defense, dropping 19 points and grabbing 6 boards. Windley's offense was so potent (shooting 6-8 from the field and 5-7 from the charity stripe), he nearly matched his opponent's team scoring through the game's first 20 minutes, falling just six points short.

The Westcliff Warriors showed brief signs of their own warrior spirit early in the second half, clawing their way back to within 10 points and injecting a flicker of hope into the hearts of their own diehard fans. But Nelson slammed the door shut with ruthless efficiency. A sharp 10-0 run, seven of those points courtesy of Orlando Gonzales' hot hand, pushed the lead right back to 20, where it would hover for the balance of the contest (peaking at a game-high 21), as the home Warriors cruised to the final buzzer.

The victory marks the second straight 20-point home win, the first time the club has won back-to-back games by 20+ points since winning three consecutive by that margin in early February 2025. Nelson played under control throughout, finishing with 7 turnovers, just one shy of the team best this season, and only 13 personal fouls,

Calvin "Don't call him Silent Cal" Windley finished with a monster double-double, finishing with a season-high 29 points to go with his game-high 11 rebounds, his team-leading fifth double-double, and first since November 24. Orlando Gonzales finished with 15 points and a season-high 4 steals, while Zoe Holman finished with deuces wild: 12 points, 2 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks), and Terrin Ross nearly recorded a double-double himself, with 10 points and 7 caroms.

Jeramiah Paulino was the only Westcliff Warrior to record double-digits in scoring, finishing with 15 points and 6 assists.

The Nelson men will take a brief respite before heading on the road for two games beginning on Thursday January 22, at West Coast Baptist at 7pm before heading to Los Angeles to take on Nobel University on Saturday the 24^th at 2pm.

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