CALPAC After Dark: Warriors Pounce on Pioneers

The Nelson Warriors' Men's Basketball team (14-10) delivered a resounding statement win on Saturday night, ending a full day of basketball at the Scott Activity Center, cruising to a dominant 86-58 victory over the visiting Pacific Union Pioneers.

From the opening tip, Nelson fought to erase the taste in their collective mouths from their previous game by setting an aggressive, confident tone. They jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the first few minutes, nailing their first two three-point attempts and suffocating Pacific Union defensively. The Warriors pushed their advantage to 18 points less than ten minutes in, holding the Pioneers to under 25% shooting from the field through the game's first 18 minutes in, frustrating their east travelling frontiersman with tremendous lockdown intensity.

The game was physical throughout, but Nelson's effort was clearly superior. Pacific Union managed a brief 8-0 burst over just 30 seconds late in the half to trim the lead to 10, but the Warriors answered with the final four points of the stanza, taking a comfortable 14-point edge into halftime despite shooting only 40% from the field, compensating by going 14-of-17 from the free-throw line.

The second half belonged entirely to Nelson. They opened with full-court pressure and aggressive transition offense, quickly restoring a 20-point cushion and never letting up. A decisive 16-4 run stretched the lead to a then-game-high 28 points with 7:32 remaining, with the margin peaking at 30 with 1:19 left. Pacific Union managed a late 7-0 spurt, but it was far too little, too late against a Warriors squad that controlled every facet of the game.

Nelson attacked the rim relentlessly, attempting the third-most free throws of the season (33), converting at a high clip (72.7%), out-rebounding their opponent 49-32.

With a number of players pushing for tremendous individual Jermaine Earnest and Terrin Ross recorded double-doubles on back-to-back plays, Earnest snagged his 10th rebound on a missed Pioneers 3-point attempt, then ignited a fast break that ended with Ross finishing with a layup for his 10th and 11th points. Earnest finished the game with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 steals, while the veteran Ross cleared with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 steals.

With two minutes left, Logan Demarie checked in and nearly blew the roof of the center with his high-impact play. The first time he touched the ball he nailed a three. Then turning down the court, he immediately stole the ball, before getting fouled on his second offensive possession, sinking two free throws as a result. All of this before he threw a perfect 3/4-court pass to Earnest for a thunderous fast-break slam, a pitch and catch that would have made Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski proud, sending the bench and crowd into a roaring frenzy.

The Warriors will take a short break before taking on Bethesda in the Scott Activity Center at 7pm on February 6.

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