Sterling, CO – The No. 15 North Platte Community College men’s basketball team (27-5, 12-4 South Sub-Region) had their season come to an Tuesday evening in Sterling, Colo. as they fell to the No. 9 Gillette College Pronghorns (29-3, 15-1 North Sub-Region) 86-74 in the Region IX Semifinals.
The Knights finish the year with 27 wins to go along with only five losses. The five losses are the second fewest in a season in Knights history and the 84.4 win percentage also ranks second All-Time. The 27 wins are tied for the 4th most in program history.
The appearance in the Region IX Semifinals was the tenth of head coach Kevin O’Connor‘s career. O’Connor currently has 594 wins in his career.
For the first time in program history, the Knights were ranked in every single Top 25 Poll.
NJCAA National Rankings History
The Knights started off the game with Gillette playing tentatively, while the Pronghorns were the aggressor. Gillette would jump out to a lead and maintain it throughout the half despite the best efforts of Cameron Williams and Ethan Montalvo who finished with 14 and 10 points in the half. Lorenzo Bonam paced the Pronghorns with 10 points. The Knights had 11 turnovers in the half compared to only 3 for the Pronghorns as Gillette took a 35-44 lead into intermission.
At the start of the second half, the Knights scored on their first several possessions to immediately cut into the Pronghorns lead. The Knights would never be out of the game until the final minutes as on multiple occasions the lead was cut to only four points. However, the Knights could never get over the hump and make the game any closer than four points despite multiple opportunities.
Late in the game, the Pronghorns were able to stretch their lead off multiple fast break opportunities and from the free throw line. In the game, both teams made 31 field goals and five 3-pointers. The difference in the game came from the free throw line where the Knights only shot 7 of 13 while the Pronghorns shot 19 of 25.
Freshman Cameron Williams led the Knights in scoring as he finished with 24 points while chipping in seven rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Ethan Montalvo finished with 20 points and sophomore Tim Simmons scored 11 and had five assists as the only other Knights in double-figures. Sophomore Jake Maslo led the Knights in rebounds with nine and scored six points.
Muhammed Ahmed scored 15 second half points and finished with 24 to lead the Pronghorns while Lorenzo Bonam scored 21 and Dwight Anderson scored 15. Ahmed and Bonam finished with double-doubles as they both recorded 11 rebounds.
The game was the last in a Knights uniform for sophomores Ethan Montalvo, Tim Simmons, Jake Maslo, Tre’Vaun Hymer, Jimma Lew and Marcus Linson. Hymer joined the program at the semester break of his freshman year.
The sophomores have been a part of the most successful two year stretch in program history as they compiled a 57-11 record during their career, including a Region IX Championship in 2013 and National Tournament appearance. The 57 wins are the most in program history in a two year stretch and the 11 losses are the fewest. The sophomores have never known defeat at McDonald-Belton Gymnasium finishing a perfect 28-0 in their two years which is also a school record.
Montalvo and Simmons will go down as two of the best players in Knights history as they both finished in the Top 50 of the Knights career scoring list.
Montalvo finishes his career with 1,173 points to finish 5th All-Time and ties Chase Grabau, Ben Wilson and Aboubacar Casse for most games played in a Knights uniform at 68. Montalvo started every single game of his Knights career.
Simmons finishes his career with 700 career points to finish 40th All-Time to go along with his assignment of guarding the best player every night.
“I am so proud of our team and the effort that they gave us night in and night out,” said head coach Kevin O’Connor. “We will miss all of sophomores; they were a true representation of what wearing a Knights uniform is all about. They led our program on the court, in the classroom and in the community. They will be unbelievable hard to replace.”