North Platte — The North Platte Community College Knights basketball team, seeded fourth in the South Sub-Region will host the number five seed in the south, Trinidad State Junior College in the first round of the Region IX men’s basketball tournament at the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium on the South Campus of North Platte Community College. Tip-off is set for 3 pm on Saturday, February 27.
All NPCC faculty, staff & NPCC students will get free admission with their college ID. Admission for the general public is $5 per person. 2015-16 season passes are invalid for the tournament.
The tournament changed their bracket format beginning in the 2014-2015 season. Before, the North and the South Sub-regions were paired against each other. The new format pairs the number one seed against the number eight seed, number two will host the number seven, number three will host number six and number four will host the number five seed in their own sub-regions.
The Knights finished the regular season at 18-12 and 8-8 in the South Sub-Region. They are seeded fourth in the sub-region by virtue of a tie-breaker over Trinidad State.
The Knights, as a team, shoot 46.4 percent from the floor, 35.8 percent from three-point range, and 68.2 percent from the free throw line. The Knights are averaging 84.3 points per game and allowing 76.4 points per game.
The Knights have four players averaging in double figures. Tim Wagner leads the Knights at 14.7 points per game. He is followed by Diontae Champion at 14.5 ppg. Leito Holloway is third at 11.4 ppg and Tyree Peter is at 10.5 points per game. Peter also leads the Knights in rebounding with 10.3 rebounds per game, which is second in the sub-region. Wagner has 3.8 assists per game, which is tied for second in the sub-region.
The Trojans finished the regular season at 15-15 and 8-8 in South Sub-Region play. They are the fifth seed in the South.
The Trojans have three players averaging in double figures. Chris Williams, who is second in the South Sub-Region in scoring, is averaging 19.3 points per game. Treyvon Andres is second on the team with 15.7 ppg. The third Trojan to average in double figures is Yephnick Adelphonse at 11.7 ppg. Andres leads the Trojans in rebounding with 9.3 rebounds per game. Williams leads in assists at 3.7 assists per game.
The Trojans as a team, shoot 44.6 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from three-point range. They are also a 69.9 percent free throw shooting team. The Trojans are averaging 75.8 points per game and allowing 60.6 points per game.
The winner of this game will advance to the quarterfinals of the Region IX tournament, which will be held March 3-5 at the highest seed after the first round games in the South Sub-Region.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN 1410 radio and on the World Wide Web at www.northplattepost.com. To see the complete Region IX Tournament bracket, visit www.npccknights.com.