by If you can say one thing about the Nelson Warriors, it is that they play with as much or more heart than any other club out there, always fighting until the very end, never resting until the final buzzer, leaving the court with nothing left but their thanks to God for the opportunity to play. Tonight, the Warriors needed all 40 minutes to clinch their semifinal victory and punch their ticket to theschool’s first-ever appearance in the NCCAA National Championship game on Saturday following a desperate 95-92 comeback victory over the Ohio Christian University Trailblazers.
“I have said it many times, but I’ll keep saying it because it’s true: these guys never give up,” said head coach Kole Ebert following his team’s improbable victory. “They have no quit in them. They truly play with a the spirit of a warrior. The name on the front of the jersey is not only emblematic of the school, but of their very nature. I am so proud of them for how they fought tonight. They deserve to be where they are at in this tournament, and they are now in the position to have a chance to accomplish the goal they set for themselves all the way back at the beginning of the season.”
An epic battle between two of the nation’s top teams, the game remained close for the first 13+ minutes, tied at 24 after a Larry Holmes (12p/4r) jump shot with 6:41 remaining. However, some uncharacteristically sloppy play and a sudden cold snap led to a Trailblazers 8-0 run heading into half, part of a 19-7 stretch in which Ohio Christian built a 12-point halftime lead, one of the largest deficits Nelson had faced all season.
As the second half got under way, the Trailblazers continued to pull ahead, eventually pushing the gap to a game-high 17 points with 16:38 left after two Caleb Schmelzer free throws.
However, just when it seemed the night was darkest and the outcome bleak, the warrior spirit rose up from the depth’s of each player’s soul, using it not only to attempt an improbable comeback, but effort themselves to a heart-stopping win.
Within two minutes, two baskets by Rob Jenkins (12p/3r/4a) and one from each Holmes and Zaveion Bineyard (10p/7r/2b) cut into the Trailblazers lead by eight points. Like two heavy weights desperate to outlast the other, for the next eight minutes the teams traded blows, with Ohio Christian never able to land the knockout punch they so desperately hoped to achieve. Then, down by nine with 6:28 remaining, Nelson finally began to wear their opponent out. Terrin Ross (16p/5r) hit a three with 5:21 left to pull within six, the closest the Warriors had been since the first half. 30 seconds later a Tommy Randolph (8p/3s) layup pulled the team to within four. After the two teams traded free throws, Bineyard made a layup to cut the deficit to three, then 24 seconds after that Upton hit a free throw to cut the gap to just two. It was Upton who then tied the game twice on back-to-back runners (sandwiching a Parker Penrod layup), then a Terrin Ross 16p/5r) outside shot with 2:04 to go gave the Warriors their first lead since they led 19-16 way back in the middle of the first half – a lead they would never relinquish.
A Penrod three with 13 seconds remaining cut the Nelson lead to just one, but with the shot clock off, Harley “Unfazed” Upton hit two very important free throws with 8 seconds left to push the lead back to three. Ohio Christian thus had one last opportunity to tie the game, but could not get a shot off as the Warrior defense smothered the Trailblazers leading to a Penrod errant pass out of bounds, and ultimately the Warrior victory.
Despite the Warriors’ poor offensive performance in the first half, the final 15 minutes was the difference in this game. Nelson scored 64 points in the second half on a scorching hot 66.7% from the field, led by Upton’s 27 points after he scored just 3 in the first half, finishing with 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal.
Schmelzer led the way for the trailblazers offensively, scoring 27 points on 10-20 from the field, along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Penrod had shades of Mark Price against Nelson, scoring 25 points, finishing 7-8 from the charity stripe, and nailing 4 3’s. CJ Faulkner also chipped in with 20 points, while Cale Rammel nearly missed out on a double-double, finishing with 8 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists.
