North Platte – The North Platte Community College Lady Knights basketball team (15-12, 3-1 Region IX Division II, 4-2 NCCAC) defeated the Southeast Community College Lady Storm (17-13, 1-3 Region IX Division II, 3-3 NCCAC)  to win the Region IX Division II regular season and claim the #1 seed by winning 59-35.

The victory gives the Lady Knights a 3-1 record in Region IX Division II and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming tournament. The Lady Knights will host the winner of No. 3 seed Southeast Community College (1-3) and No. 2 seed Central Community College (2-2). Southeast and Central will play in Columbus on Feb. 27. The winner will then travel to North Platte on March 3 to play for the Region IX Division II Championship.

North Platte Community College wins the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference with the victory today with a 4-2 record. Southeast Community College and Central Community College tie for second with 3-3 records. McCook Community College finishes at 2-4 in the NCCAC.  The conference championship is the first in school history for the Lady Knights basketball team.

The game started off with both teams struggling to find an offensive rhythm as four and a half minutes into the game the Lady Storm led 2-5. A 3-point shot by Courtney Widick started a 17-0 run over the next five minutes to take a 20-5 lead. The Lady Knights would continue their strong play as they held the Lady Storm to only five more points in the first half to take a 32-10 lead into the locker room behind 17 points from Courtney Widick.

In the second half the two teams played back and forth with the Lady Storm never able to get any closer to threaten the Lady Knights.

Widick led the way for North Platte as she finished with 18 points. DaVontaye Merritt had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, as did April Stull who finished with 11 point and 12 rebounds.

Meshia Smith and Cymela Hunter led the Lady Storm with seven points each.