Columbus– The free throw line was the difference as the North Platte Community College Lady Knights basketball team was defeated by the Central Community College Raiders on Friday night 82-80.

The Lady Raiders went to the free throw line a total of 43 times making 27 of them. In comparison, the Lady Knights went to the line 25 times and made 16 of them.

The Lady Knights led the Lady Raiders 28-23 at the end of the first quarter and continued to lead at halftime 42-41.

The third quarter proved costly for the Lady Knights as they were outscored 24-17. The Lady Raiders led 65-59 at the end of the third quarter.

The Lady Knights rallied in the fourth and led on a few occasions, but the Lady Raiders prevailed in the end.

The Lady Knights are 8-17 on the season and 1-2 in Region IX Division II play. Four Lady Knights finished the evening in double figures led by Allison Tichy, who finished with 19 points. Jessica Lovitt added 17 points, Thomesha Wilson had 14 points and Mai’Zhrae Zeno had 12 points. Zeno and Lovitt each had a
double-double by grabbing 14 and 10 rebounds respectively.

The Lady Raiders are 11-13 overall and 1-2 in Region IX Division II play. Teisha Snyder led the Lady Raiders with 23 points. Snyder went 14 of 19 from the free throw line. Next in scoring for the Lady Raiders was Payton Blanke, who finished with 16 points. The other Lady Raider to finish in double figures was Quenshae Love, who had 15 points. Snyder also had a double-double with 15 rebounds.

The Lady Knights will travel to Beatrice tomorrow to play Southeast Community College in another Region IX Division II matchup at 2 pm CST

The Lady Knights will return home on Tuesday, Feb 21 for their final regular season game against McCook Community College at 7:30 pm. Following the game will be a retirement reception for Lady Knights Head Coach Richard Thurin who is retiring from coaching at the end of the season.