The North Platte Community College Lady Knights defeated the McCook Community College Lady Indians on Parent’s Night at McDonald – Belton Gymnasium on Tuesday night 70-43.

Prior to the game, the parents and host parents were recognized, as were the six sophomores who play for the Lady Knights. They are: Kirra Hill-Carter, Aliyah Brown, Clara Vinton, Alleyah Evans, Ester Micheva, and April Stull.

The Lady Knights jumped out to a 12-7 lead with just under 17 minutes to play in the first half.  The Lady Indians tied it at 16 on a layup by Taylor Acosta.  The Lady Knights went on an 11-5 run to end the half and take a 27-21 lead at halftime.

The Lady Knights opened the second half by going on a 16-0 run to lead 43-21 to put the game out of reach.  Hill-Carter came off the bench and scored nine points to help provide a spark for the Lady Knights.  Freshman Maddie Seamann played a dominant force in the middle by grabbing four defensive rebounds.

Lady Knights Coach Richard Thurin said: “It was the most complete game we have played.  We played very good defense and got contributions from a lot of players.”

The Lady Knights were led in scoring by T’Keyah Stapleton, who had a game high 14 points.  Other Lady Knights to score in double figures were Sarah Mahr and Stull, who had 10 points apiece.

The Lady Knights were able to limit the scoring of McCook’s Chante Church.  In the previous meeting against the Lady Knights, Church scored 30 points to pace the Lady Indians.  The Lady Knights held Church to 12 points, only four in the first half. She led the Lady Indians, along with Taylor Acosta, who also finished with 12 points.

The Lady Knights end the regular season with a 14-13 record and 3-3 in the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference.  The Lady Indians finish the regular season with a 16-14 record overall and 3-3 in the conference.  Southeast Community College won the conference with a 5-1 conference record.

The Lady Knights host Central Community College on Thursday, Feb 26 in the Region IX Division II Semifinal game.  The winner will advance to play Southeast Community College on March 2 in Beatrice for the Region IX Division II championship.  The semifinal game may be seen online at www.coachesaid.com.   Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. CST.