MISSION — Kash Bronson had 24 points, and Nixyaawii recovered from a slow start for a 62-44 Old Oregon League win over Imbler on Friday night.
“They hit three 3s and we got down early,” Nixyaawii coach Aaron Noisey said. “In the past, they would have clammed up a little bit, but they came back and played a heck of a game once they got rolling.”
It was the second consecutive loss for the Panthers (4-13 overall, 2-3 OOL) after winning three in a row.
“Rough one tonight,” Imbler coach Tony Haddock said. “We had our chances, but we got out-hustled and out-coached. Paden (Phelps) kind of put us on his back in the second half, but they were too much for us today.”
Pedro Rivas hit three 3-pointers for the Panthers in the first quarter as Imbler took a 19-16 lead.
The Golden Eagles (10-9, 4-1) bound back in the second, getting six points from Irvin Stewart as they went on a 16-2 run for a 32-21 lead at the half.
Stewart had 13 of his 23 points in the second half as Nixyaawii pulled away for its fourth consecutive win.
“They came together as a team when we needed it,” Noisey said. “I thought we played really good defense. Kash and Irvin scored a lot of points for us tonight, and tt won’t show up in the stats, but Jeffrey Van Pelt did a lot of things that helped us win tonight. He had rebounds and tipped balls. Without those things, we wouldn’t have won. The way they responded, I was really proud of them.
Bronson led the Golden Eagles with 24 points, while Van Pelt added six.
“I was a little nervous knowing that we only had eight players tonight, but the eight we had, I’d go to battle with them anytime,” Noisey said. “They played well together tonight and they all contributed. I think they are starting to realize that bench players and role players are valuable.” Phelps led the Panthers with 16 points, scoring all 14 of the Panthers’ points in the third quarter. Rivas added 13 and Julian Twillegar six.
