Basketball Recap: Denver Nelson Key Part of a Team Effort in Panthers Win

There's no place like home for Pathway Christian, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Saturday. They came out on top against the Tri-State Christian Huskies by a score of 56-45 on Tuesday. That's the second time they've managed to beat them this season, as they also won 42-40 back in December of 2024.

Pathway Christian's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Denver Nelson led the charge by going 6 for 12 on his way to 20 points and five assists. That makes it five consecutive games in which Nelson has scored at least a third of Pathway Christian's points. Another player making a difference was Preston Yutzy, who went 6 of 10 en route to 13 points.

Tri-State Christian's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Noah Duenser, who posted 13 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Nehemiah Smith, who went 6 for 11 on his way to 13 points.

Pathway Christian has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 8-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.8 points per game. As for Tri-State Christian, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-8.

Pathway Christian will welcome Faith Christian at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Faith Christian will roll in looking for their seventh straight win, something Pathway Christian surely won't give up without a fight. As for Tri-State Christian, they will square off against Unity Christian at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.