Lake Wales, FL – The Warriors showed a strong defensive effort in route to a 73-67 victory over the #25 Florida College Falcons on Saturday evening. Webber held their opponents to just 34 points in the first half and grabbed 33 defensive rebounds to coast to a 4-0 record.
Senior, Tyrone Nesby had a stellar game, scoring 29 points off 7-12 shooting from deep. Eden Holt added 2 points and one steal while Jordan Golden notched a double-double as he added 10 points and 16 rebounds. K'shun Stokes also claimed 10 points, a block, and two defensive rebounds on the night. Orri Hilmarrson and Cooper Peterson managed five points apiece, while Gavin Buchanon's 2023-24 debut saw him with a couple.
Webber started the game with a three-pointer from Eden Holt. Jones made a nice move to get to the rack the following possession to make it 5-2. Nesby then went on to hit two three-pointers to extend the lead 11-4. The Falcons responded with a couple of buckets to make it 11-6, before Stokes' jumper hit the net for two. Jordan Golden grabbed a layup to extend the lead to 11 early in the game.
Both teams traded baskets over the next six minutes. A basket by Hilmarsson kept it a two-possession game as the Warriors were up 20-18. Another long jumper from Nesby sparked a 9-3 run. This stretch saw a Cooper Peterson triple followed by a basket by Nesby, a jumper from Golden, and a pair of free throws for Stokes with just over three minutes in the half. Holt would sink two free throws for the final scoring of the half, and Webber headed into the locker room with a 38-34 lead.
The Falcons cut their deficit to two over the opening minute of the second period. Nesby came up huge once again for Webber, hitting a layup and a triple to increase the lead to nine. FC made a layup their next time down the court followed by another impressive shot from Stokes. FC made two free throws before Nesby hit his seventh three pointer of the game to give Webber a seven-point advantage with 13:28 to play.
Florida College did not go away quietly, hitting back-to-back shots over the next two minutes. Holt responded with a nice finish at the rim. Buchanon followed with a basket of his own before Nesby sunk another three-pointer. A layup from Patterson extended the lead to 12 with just under nine minutes left. The next few minutes saw both teams score points which included a Hilmarsson three, his first of the contest. FC finished the final 5:54 on a 11-7 run, but it was too little too late, as Webber came out on top 73-67.
When asked about the win, head coach, Gabriel Rutledge said, "That was a great team win. Florida college is a really good, very well-coached team. We knew it was going to be a battle all night and I'm proud of the passion and energy we played with on both ends of the floor. To be a winning program you have to have guys who step up in big moments and we had multiple guys make winning plays. Tyrone did a great job making shots, Eden did a good job at controlling the pace of the game and Jordan did an amazing on the boards. We still have a lot of work to do but I am proud of how we have started the season. Thank you to all the fans who made it over to Warner to show their support. Go Warriors!"
Webber will be back at home this Tuesday Nov. 14th for the are set to take on University of Fort Lauderdale at 7:00 pm at Polk State's gym. The Warriors are looking to go 5-0 for the first time in recent years.
