Nelson Men's Winning-Streak Snapped at Six

The Nelson Warriors' Men's Basketball team (13-10) saw their six-game winning streak come to an abrupt end with an 84-66 loss to the Simpson Red Hawks in front of a packed house of 117 fans at the Scott Activity Center.

The Warriors came out flat, struggling to find rhythm early, shooting just 36.7% from the field in the first half, including an uncharacteristically cold 0-for-6 from three, while Simpson came out scorching from deep, nailing 6-of-12 from beyond the arc. The Red Hawks also dominated the glass early, crashing the boards to build an 11-point lead less than 10 minutes in—never relinquishing control. Nelson, usually sure-handed, played sloppy, committing 9 first-half turnovers (17 for the game), many of them forced by pressure but a number unforced and entirely preventable. The Warriors also failed to draw fouls, with Simpson not committing their second foul of the half until the 3:59 mark, by which point the lead was already comfortably in double digits. Simpson carried a game-high 16-point advantage into halftime.

Despite the deficit, the home crowd remained hopeful. This Warriors team has staged multiple second-half comebacks this season, and the energy in the building suggested another rally was possible.

The second half opened ominously, with Simpson pushing the lead to 22 points (55-32) in under six minutes. But then Nelson tapped into their trademark inner Warrior Spirit. Head coach Kole Ebert called for a full-court press which forced a number of difficult possessions for the Red Hawks, while the offense accelerated. Zoe Holman became a blur in transition, zipping coast-to-coast on multiple occasions and catching Simpson flat-footed with his explosive speed. The Warriors ripped off a 25-12 run over the next 10 minutes, slicing the deficit down to 10 points and sending the crowd into a frenzy.

For a moment, the upset felt within reach.

But Simpson stayed composed. They weathered the storm, regrouped, and responded with a decisive 13-3 run over the next four minutes to stretch the lead back to 20 points and effectively seal the game. The Red Hawks scored nearly at will in the closing stretch, while Nelson missed a number of surprisingly high-percentage looks inside, shots that normally drop for this group but tonight simply rimmed out or clanged off the iron.

Statistically, it was the two team's shooting that was the difference in the final outcome, with the Red Hawks hovering at about 50% for the game, while the Warriors sank only 39.1% of their attempts. Nelson shot 5-12 from three in the second half, but it was too little too late as the deficit had already grown beyond what they were able, on this night, to overcome.

Terrin Ross was a bright spot for the Warriors, finishing with a 12 point, 15 rebounds double-double, his second double-double in the previous five games. Zoe Holman streaked his was to a team-high 20 points, while snagging a steal and recording a block, and dishing out 4 assists and only turning the ball over twice. Orlando Gonzales put up a solid 10 points with 4 rebounds and 3 assists, while Jermaine Earnest snagged 7 caroms himself. Calvin Windley was a spark off the bench in 20 points, scoring 11 points and grabbing 4 boards.

The Red Hawks were led by Nian Allen who scored 21 points, and Jack Jillson who finished one dime short of a double-double off the bench, with 14 points and 9 assists.

Up next for the Warriors is Pacific Union on Saturday night at 9pm as part of a quadruple-header when both the Simpson men and women take on Northern New Mexico College, before the Nelson women play Pacific Union at 6pm to open the evening slate.

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