NEVADA — John Nelson entered Nevada’s Class 3A Substate 6 semifinal game against Bondurant-Farrar on Feb. 26 with a milestone in reach.
In his final home appearance for the Cub boys basketball team, Nelson needed 16 points to surpass the school’s all‑time scoring record of 1,306 points, set by Wayne Tjernagel in 1964. He broke the mark in the first half and went on to help the Cubs secure a 70–53 win, advancing them to the substate finals.
“Right before the game I found out I was 16 points off,” said Nelson. “It gave me a little extra motivation to try to get there.”
Nelson scored 17 of his game-high 26 points in the first half. He broke the record late in the second quarter after hitting a 3-pointer.
“I’ve never had a kid work as hard as John Nelson,” said Nevada coach Tyler Struck. “I’ve also never had a kid think about the game and think about things as much as John, which is a blessing and a curse at times. I think as that (record) got a little close, I think the realization of not only the record, but his whole four-year career being over pretty soon started to hit him. It did not surprise me that he was able to go get that taken care of.”
Breaking a 62-year-old record was not Nelson’s top priority though. Nevada had not been to the substate finals in many years, and that is where his focus was on Thursday.
“Going to the substate final was our goal from the start of the season,” Nelson said. “Right away I just wanted to make sure to set the tone and get the team going.”
Nelson scored 11 of Nevada’s first 22 points, and he added two 3-pointers before halftime. But despite his 17-point half, the Cubs were unable to put the Bluejays away.
Nevada led 32-24 at the break. Bondurant-Farrar closed within three early in the third quarter and after Nevada stretched the lead back to seven, Andrew Kurtz hit a 3-pointer to cut the Cub lead to 43-39.
The Cubs needed a lift, and it was Nelson’s younger brother George who provided it.
George hit back-to-back 3-pointers before the end of the third quarter to push Nevada’s lead back to double digits at 49-39.
“Good assists by my teammates,” said George.
A basket by Bondurant-Farrar’s Owen Werner pulled the Bluejays within eight at the start of the fourth quarter. Then Nevada went on an 11-2 run to put the game away.
“We talked all week about staying in the fight,” Struck said. “They (Bondurant-Farrar) are, by far, the best six-win team in the state. We knew that no lead was safe. Our game plan was to keep getting the ball inside, and, ironically, the 3-pointer is what broke it open. I’m really proud of the fact that for four quarters we focused on all the mental stuff.”
Gavin Egeland complemented John Nelson’s big night with 15 points and George added 10. Drake Hinson chipped in seven and he had another great all-around game with rebounding, assists.
Bondurant-Farrar finished 6-17. Werner scored 17 points and Drake Pfaltzgraff 15 for the Bluejays.
Nevada will take a 21-3 record into the 3A Substate 6 final on March 2 at Adel. The Cubs will face a daunting challenge trying to get past No. 2 Adel-Desoto-Minburn (21-2) and the Tigers’ all-state tandem of Trey Bryte and Hudson Lorensen.
“I grew up playing with a couple of the guys (Bryte and Lorensen) and we know they’re two really great players and we’re going to have to play lights out to beat them, but that’s our plan,” John Nelson said. “We’re going to go into it with the mentality we can win.”
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: John Nelson sets Nevada scoring mark in 3A substate win over B-F
Reporting by Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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