The North Platte Knights’ record-setting season is over. The Knights fell to top-seeded Iowa Western 79-74 in second-round play at the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas yesterday afternoon. After falling behind by 14 in the second half, the Knights battled back and took a 74-72 lead in the waning moments, but the Reivers made seven of eight free throws in the final minute for the victory. Ethan Montalvo led the Knights with 27 points in the loss. The Knights finish with a program-best 30-6 record.

The North Platte Lady Knights season continues, but they will do so in the loser’s bracket of the NJCAA Division II tournament in East Peoria, Illinois. The Lady Knights lost to top-seeded Mesa 63-35 in the first round. Paige Hasty’s 18 points led the Lady Knights offensively. The Lady Knights will play Iowa Central in the consolation first round Thursday morning at 11 AM.

A 114-104 road victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder has moved the Denver Nuggets’ winning streak to 13 games, the franchise’s best winning streak in 43 years. It also lifts the Nuggets ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies in the race for home-court advantage in the Western Conference. Ty Lawson’s 25 points led the Nuggets to the win. The Nuggets did lose key reserve Wilson Chandler to a separated left shoulder in the game. The Nuggets are now 47-22. They face Philadelphia in Denver on Thursday night.

Nebraska forward Jordan Hooper was awarded a spot on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-Region 6 team for the second straight year. The 6-2 junior from Alliance led the Huskers in scoring and rebounding, averaging 18.0 points and 8.7 boards per game. She was an All-Big Ten honoree for the second straight year. Hooper and the 24th-ranked Huskers take on Chattanooga Saturday in College Station, Texas in round one of the NCAA Tournament.

The Colorado Rockies got five strong innings on the mound from Juan Nicasio in a 7-2 win over the Kansas City Royals in Cactus League play. Nicasio limited the Royals to one run on three hits in his start, striking out four. The Rockies were led offensively by a three-hit day from top prospect Nolan Arenado and two RBI from DJ LeMahieu. After an off day today, the Rockies face San Diego on Thursday.

The North Platte Community College Knights are on to round two of the NJCAA National Tournament. A career high game from Tim Simmons lifted the Knights to a 76-50 win over Mineral Area College in first-round action yesterday afternoon. Simmons scored 24 points, including a 3-pointer in the first half that broke a 12-12 tie and gave the Knights the lead for good. Ethan Montalvo joined Simmons in double figures, scoring 14 points. The victory is the twelfth in a row for the Knights and moves them to 30-5 on the season. The 30 wins are a new single-season record for Knights basketball. Today the Knights will play the first game in the round of 16 against top-seeded Iowa Western. The Reivers are 31-2 overall. ESPN Radio 1410 will have the action, with pregame coverage at 1:45 and the tipoff at 2 PM.

It’s not the ideal scenario for a Husker baseball team looking to break out of a slump – a two-game series against the eighth-ranked team in the nation. The Huskers play game one of their mid-week set at Cal State-Fullerton tonight. The Big Red are 1-2 on their current West Coast swing, having dropped a series at UC-Irvine. Luke Bublitz gets the call on the mound for the Huskers tonight. First pitch is set for 8 PM.

The Husker women’s basketball team is in the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in the past seven years. After finishing 23-8 and in second place in the Big Ten regular season standings, the Huskers’ reward is a sixth seed in the Norfolk Regional. Nebraska’s first stop will be College Station, Texas for first and second round play. The Huskers face eleventh-seed Chattanooga on Saturday. If they win, they would play the winner between Wichita State and Texas A&M.

Jhoulys Chacin will take the mound on Opening Day for the Colorado Rockies. Manager Walt Weiss made the decision official yesterday. Weiss also announced that veteran lefty Jeff Francis would start the Rockies’ home opener, the fourth game of their season. Jorge de la Rosa and Juan Nicaso are expected to slot between Chacin and Francis in the rotation, with the fifth starters’ job still up in the air.

The NFL has turned down the Denver Broncos’ appeal to accept the terms of a deal between the team and defensive end Elvis Dumervil that did not go through because it was not faxed to the team on time. The Broncos cut Dumervil when the appropriate paperwork on a restructuring of his contract didn’t come through before a deadline on Friday afternoon. In response to the foul-up, Dumervil fired his agent, Marty Magid. He’s now being represented by Tom Condon.