Warriors Remain Undefeated in 2025 with Dominant Victory over Simpson's of California

The Nelson Warriors (11-3) men's basketball team remained undefeated in 2025 when they swarmed their way to a dominant 104-73 victory over the visiting Simpson University Red Hawks (7-8), stretching their current win-streak to seven, undefeated in over a calendar month.

After a tight start to the game, the Nelson Warriors used a 24-14 run to close out the first half up 15, then opened the second half with an 8-0 run, prompting a timeout, and a 23-point lead. Unrelenting on both sides, the Warriors stretched the lead to a game-high 36 points with just over 10 minutes to go in the game. The Warriors played their usually tight, sometimes claustrophobic defense to build their lead, holding the Red Hawks to just 37.5% shooting in the first half, then continued their high-pressure swarming defense throughout the second half, holding the Red Hawks to just 31.3% from beyond the arc for the game.

"We kept the pedal to the metal," celebrated head coach Kole Ebert after the game. "We never relented on defense. Our offense has been really good, but it's been our defense that has been the catalyst and led to more offensive opportunities."

With big size often comes slower feet, an advantage the Warriors capitalized on with the Simpson starting forwards and centers playing at a sometimes considerably bigger size than their Nelson counterparts, providing the opponents with 12 offensive rebounds leading to put-back buckets. But Nelson's quickness and athleticism consistently proved more than strong enough on the offensive end. Snagging 11 steals, the Warriors further played coach Ebert's patented High Octane offense to perfection, dropping over 100 points for the fifth time in their previous six games, and the sixth time on the season.

1:48 into the game, Harley Upton hit a left-corner three, continuing his career-best streak of hitting at least one outside shot in each game of the season, stretching his streak to 14. Due to early foul trouble for Tommy Randolph (14 points), Larry Holmes came off the bench snagging game-highs in both rebounds with 10 and blocked shots with 2, adding in a steal and 6 points for good measure.

Zaveion Bineyard scored a career-high 27 points (breaking his previous high of 25 set on November 14), grabbing 7 rebounds and a game-high 4 steals, equaling the Simpson's team total. Rob Jenkins had another of his masterful all-around games finishing with 3 steals, along with 19 points, 9 assists, and 4 rebounds. Upton finished one rebound short of a double-double, shagging a career-high-tying 9, a mark he set twice in December 2022, along with 2 assists and 2 steals.

Timothy Parker recorded 16 points on 6-12 shooting and 3 assists to lead the visiting Red Hawks.

The Warriors do not play a home game again until February 8, when the Justice College Lions of Chandler comes to town. In the mean time, they embark upon a difficult season-long six-game road trip beginning at the Lions on Friday, January 17.

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