Nelson Men Run Win-Streak to Six

The Nelson Warriors' Men's Basketball team (13-9) closed out their brief two-game California road trip with a gritty 79-72 road victory over the Nobel University Knights in Los Angeles, extending their winning streak to six games and showing the kind of resolve that defines championship-caliber squads, key, as they enter into the home stretch with another national tournament bid in their sights.

The Warriors burst out of the gate, jumping to a quick 5-0 lead and looking poised to run away early. But Nobel responded, ripping off a 19-5 run over the next six minutes to flip the script and send their home crowd into a frenzy.

Nelson refused to fold. They answered with a sharp 10-0 surge of their own to reclaim the lead, setting up a tense, back-and-forth first half where neither team could pull away by more than five points. When the halftime buzzer sounded, the Warriors carried a razor-thin 40-39 advantage into the locker room.

The second half was every bit as physical and competitive. Nobel pounded Nelson on the boards for the game, recording a decisive 59-32 edge, with four players snagging at least 10 caroms, 29 offensive rebounds to Nelson's 10, and 69 field goal attempts – 18 more than the Warriors.

Over the first ten minutes of the half, the Knights tied the game multiple times, the last at 53-53 with 11:57 remaining, keeping the pressure on Nelson who desperately sought an opportunity to pull away. And just when it seemed like this game was destined to come down to a final shot, Nelson summoned their inner Warriors spirit, locking in defensively, executing on offense, and steadily building ever-lasting separation.

The decisive stretch came late. A 19-9 run from that point was capped by Orlando Gonzales who stepped to the line and calmly drained two free throws with 3:21 left to push the lead to 10 points, giving Nelson the breathing room they needed. From there, the Warriors managed the clock, hit key free throws, and cruised to the final buzzer, sealing the road sweep and their sixth straight victory.

After deferring offensively for most of the month of January, Gonzales finished with a game-high 21 points, his first 20+ point game since December 30, nailing 5 three-pointers. Zoe Holman was his usual high-octane self, dropping 21 points on a highly efficient night shooting an outstanding 77.36% true shooting percentage. Wyatt Mackay reached double-figures in scoring with 11 while Terrin Ross put up 6 points and 8 boards and Calvin Windley finished with 7 points and 6 rebounds to round out the starting lineup. Jermaine Earnest led the bench unit with a near double-double on 13 points, 9 rebounds, along with 2 steals.

Mykale Mundy led Nobel in scoring with 21 points, while three Knights recorded double-doubles: 16 points and 15 boards by Caleb Palmer, 15 points and 11 rebounds from Ryan Frazer, and 12 points and 11 rebounds at the hands of Kevin Hymes.

The Warriors will look to extend their winning streak to seven when they host the Simpson Red Hawks on Thursday, January 29, at 7:30pm in the Scott Activity Center, their first of a critically important four-game home stand.

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