The North Platte Community College Knights basketball team defeated the Otero Junior College Rattlers 79 – 72 at McDonald – Belton Gymnasium Saturday in the first round of the National Junior College Athletic Association Region IX Tournament.

The game was tied at nine with 12:35 minutes to play in the first half when the Knights went on a 12 – 2 run to take the lead with 8:08 to play.  The Knights maintained the lead throughout the first half to lead 39 – 28 at halftime.

In the second half the Knights increased their lead to 64-49.  The Rattlers weren’t finished as they went on a 24 – 11 run to cut the Knights lead to two 75 – 73 with 11 seconds to play.  The Rattlers fouled CJ Polk who hit both of his free throws to put the lead up to four.  On the ensuing play, the Knights Shyquinn Dix stole the ball and went to put up a shot.  He missed the shot but Cameron Williams was right there to seal the victory with a slam dunk.

The Knights improve to 23-8 on the season.  They were led in scoring by Williams, who finished the game with 19 points.  Polk added 17 points and Dix added 14 points.  Tyree Peter also scored in double figures with 11 points.

The Rattlers, who ended their season at 16 – 14 were led in scoring by Josh Blaylock with 18 points.  Shun Williams had 17 points and Brandon Wilson added 11 points.  Wilson recorded a double – double as he also grabbed 10 rebounds.

With the win the Knights advance to the quarterfinals of the Region IX tournament in Powell, Wyoming.  Northwest College, who came into the tournament as the No. 1 seed in the North Sub –Region defeated Little Big Horn College 104 – 74 to retain the top seed and host the remainder of the tournament which will be held March 5 – 7.

The Knights next opponent is unknown.  Region IX will re-seed the eight remaining teams for the matchups.

The tournament games for the Knights will be covered by Robert Lovell on ESPN Radio 1410 and www.northplattepost.com.  For more information about the tournament go to www.npccknights.com for the updates and possible live stream broadcasts.

The North Platte Community College Lady Knights season came to an end on Thursday night in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region IX Division II Semi-finals 66 – 63 against the Central Community College Lady Raiders at McDonald – Belton Gymnasium.

The Lady Raiders jumped out to a 9 – 2 lead behind McKenna Rossmeier. Rossmeier scored the first 12 points for the Lady Raiders on four three-pointers. The Lady Knights tied the score at 12 with 15:19 to go in the first half.  The game went back and forth for the remainder of the half with the greatest difference was a five point lead by the Lady Raiders 27 – 22.  The Lady Knights finished out the half by outscoring the Lady Raiders 5 – 2 to trail the Lady Raiders at halftime 29 – 28.

The game remained close throughout the second half.  The Lady Knights took their biggest lead of the night 48 – 43 with eight and a half minutes to go.  The Lady Raiders relied on the three-pointer to retake the lead 52 – 50 with 6:45 to play.

The Lady Raiders led 65 – 61 and were at the free throw line to extend the lead when the Central bench was called for a technical foul.  Clara Vinton sank both free throws to cut the lead 65 – 63.  The Lady Raiders’ Montrese Weller made one of the two free throws to seal the win.

The Lady Knights finish the season at 14 – 14. The Lady Knights were led in the game in scoring by Sarah Mahr who had 17 points to lead all scorers.  April Stull and Ester Micheva each contributed 12 points.

Stull ends her Lady Knight career with 757 points which places her in sixth place on the Lady Knights all-time scoring list.

The Lady Raiders improve to 15 – 13 on the season and advance to the Region IX Division II championship game against Southeast Community College.   The Lady Raiders had four players in double figures led by Adreanna Beck with 13 points.  McKenna Rossmeier and Lana’e Washington-Carter had 12 points.  Montrese Weller added 10 points.

The pairings of the National Junior College Athletic Association Region IX Men’s Division I tournament have been released. The No. 2 seed North Platte Community College Knights will host the No. 7 seed Otero Junior College Rattlers at McDonald-Belton Gymnasium on Saturday, February 28 at 4:00 p.m. CST.

The Region IX men’s tournament changed format this season.  The top four seeded teams of each sub-region will host the bottom four seeded teams from the same sub-region.  The winners of those eight games will advance to the quarterfinals which will be held at the top remaining seed in the north sub-region.  The Knights are in the south sub-region.

The Knights have defeated the Rattlers twice this season, 91-70 in North Platte and 76-72 in La Junta, Colorado.

The Knights are 22- 8 on the season and are 11-5 in the South Sub-Region.  They are led in scoring by Cameron Williams with a 21.1 points per game average.  Marco Pascolo is averaging 10.7 points per game and Shyquinn Dix is averaging 10.3 points per game.  Pascolo leads the Knights in rebounding with 7.6 rebounds per game.

The Rattlers are 16-13 overall and 6-10 in the South Sub-Region.  They are led in scoring by Josh Blaylock, who is averaging 15.4 points per game.  Tre O’Neal is averaging 11.9 points per game and Brandon Wilson is averaging 10.1 points per game.

The Knights are averaging 78 points per game and allowing 70.6 points per game.  The Rattlers are averaging 81 points per game and allowing 77 points per game.

The game will be live streamed on www.coachesaid.com.

The North Platte Community College Lady Knights basketball team will host the Central Community College Lady Raiders in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region IX Division II Semi-Final playoff game on Thursday, February 26 at 6:00 p.m. at McDonald – Belton Gymnasium on the South Campus of North Platte Community College.

The Lady Knights are the No. 2 seed with a 14-13 overall record and 2-2 in Region IX Division II play.  The Lady Raiders are 14-13 overall and 0-4 in the region.

The winner of this game will travel to Beatrice, Nebraska to play the Southeast Community College Lady Storm on Monday, March 2.  The Lady Storm went a perfect 4-0 in region play to gain the top seed and host the championship game.

The Lady Knights on the year are averaging 61.2 points per game and allowing 59 points per game.

April Stull, a sophomore from Sweeny, Texas leads the Knights in scoring and rebounds.  Stull is averaging 15.7 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game.  Stull is seventh on the Lady Knights all-time scoring list with 735 career points.

Aliyah Brown, a sophomore from Omaha Burke High School is averaging 10.5 points per game.  Brown leads the team in steals and assists with 88 steals and 49 assists.

The Lady Knights are the two-time defending Region IX Division II champions.  They have won the Division II championship five times: 2006-07, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2012-13 and 2013-14.

The Lady Raiders are averaging 79.7 points per game while allowing 80.8 points per game.  They are led in scoring by Montrese Weller, who is averaging 15.7 points per game.  Adrianna Beck is second on the Lady Raiders with a 15.3 points per game average.  Paige Muhammad is the other Lady Raider averaging in double-figures with 10.8 points per game.  McKenna Rossmeier and Weller lead the Lady Raiders in rebounding with 5.6 rebounds per game.

The game may be viewed on www.coachesaid.com.

The North Platte Community College Knights treated the “Military Night” crowd  at McDonald – Belton Gymnasium to an 80-67 win over the McCook Community College Indians.

The Knights jumped out to an early 9-7 lead.  The Indians took the lead 10-9 on Trey Moore’s three-pointer.  The Knights led by 14 with just under four minutes to play in the first half 33-19.  The Knights held a 42-32 halftime lead.

To open up the second half, the Indians went on a 13-2 run to take a 46-45 lead on a Clint Thomas three-pointer.  After the Knights regained the lead, Thomas hit another three-pointer to tie the game at 48. The Knights put the game out of reach by going on a 24-10 run to lead 72-58.

The Knights with the win finish the regular season with a 22-8 record overall and an 11-5 Region IX South record. The Knights had four players in double figures in the contest led by Cameron Williams with 23 points.  Shyquinn Dix followed right behind with 22 points.  CJ Polk and Matt Thomas each finished with 11 points.

The Knights were able to shut down the Indians high powered scoring attack.  The Indians came into the game with a 96 points per game average.

The Indians drop to 16-14 on the season and 6-10 in Region IX South.  The Indians were led in scoring by Cody Wudtke and Dominic Cain, who each scored 14 points.  Isaac Burnham added 11 points.

The Knights will begin the postseason on Saturday, Feb 28 when they host a first round game of the Region IX tournament.  The opponent or time has yet to be known.

The game will be live streamed on www.coachesaid.com.

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.

The North Platte Community College Lady Knights and Knights basketball teams will host the McCook Community College Indians on Tuesday, February 24 at McDonald-Belton Gymnasium on the South Campus of North Platte Community College.

The night is designated “Military Night.”  To honor those who served our country, all veterans and active duty and their families will be admitted free into the games. There will be a color guard from the 1074 Transportation Company of the Nebraska National Guard at the men’s game.

The women’s game is a Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference game.  The Lady Indians defeated the Lady Knights in McCook on January 28 by a score of 69-59.

The Lady Knights are 13-13 on the season and 2-3 in conference play. They are led in scoring by sophomore April Stull from Sweeny, Texas.  Stull is averaging 15.7 points per game.  Stull has 735 career points which places her in seventh place on the Lady Knights all-time scoring list.  Aliyah Brown, a sophomore from Omaha Burke High School is second on the team in scoring with a 10.5 points per game scoring average.

This will be the last regular season game for sophomores Kirra Hill-Carter,  Aliyah Brown, Clara Vinton, Alleyah Evans, Ester Micheva and April Stull. They will be recognized prior to the game, along with parents of all members of the Lady Knights basketball team.

The Lady Indians are 16-13 overall and 3-2 in conference play.  They are led in scoring by freshman Chante Church with an average of 20.7 points per game.  Lucia Archuletta and Brooksie McWilliams are the other Lady Indians averaging in double figures with 12 points per game and 10.4 points per game respectively.  Church in the first meeting of the two teams lit up the scoreboard with 30 points.

The men’s game will also be a NCCAC game, as well as a National Junior College Athletic Association Region IX game.  The Knights will be looking to go a perfect 6-0 in the conference.  The game will also determine the pairings for the upcoming Region IX tournament.  North Platte is in a virtual tie for second with Laramie County Community College.  Northeastern Junior College clinched the number one seed with the win over the Knights on Saturday night.

The Knights are 21-8 on the season, 10-5 in the south sub-region.  The Knights are led in scoring by Cameron Williams from Omaha South High School with a 21 points per game average.  Williams is 17^th in the nation in scoring and is tied for 12^th  on the Knights all-time scoring list with Mike Schroer, who played from 1989- 91 with 1048 career points.

The other Knight to average in double figures is sophomore Marco Pascolo from Udine, Italy, at 11 points per game.

This will be the last regular season game for sophomores Cameron Williams, Luke Pittle, Xavier Hall, Riley Rice, Zach Mann, and Marco Pascolo.

The Indians who are 16-13 on the season are led in scoring by Clint Thomas with an 18.2 points per game average.  Former Papillion-LaVista  and former North Platte High School standout Trey Moore is averaging 13.8 points per game.  Three other Indians are averaging in double figures. Hakim Davis, 12.4 points per game, Dominic Cain, 12.4 points per game, and Karim El-Amin, 10.4 points per game.

The games may be heard on ESPN Radio 1410 or online at www.northplattepost.com.  They may also be viewed online at www.coachesaid.com.

Women’s game is set to tip-off at 5:30 p.m. and the men’s game is set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. CST.

The North Platte Community College Knights went down to defeat to the Northeastern Junior College PlainsmenWednesday Night at the Bank of Colorado Events Center 72-69.

With the win the Plainsmen clinced the number one seed in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region IX South Sub-region.

The game was physical and went back and forth in the first half. The Plainsmen led by as many as 10 in the first half on a couple of occasions.  The Knights rallied to cut the Plainsmen lead at halftime to 37-31.

In the second half, the Plainsmen led for most of the half.  The Knights were down by 12 but rallied to cut the lead to one with under a minute to play.  The Knights fouled Plainsmen Logan Kelley with eight seconds to go in the game. Kelley made both free throws to put the Plainsmen up by three.  The Knights had one last chance.  The ball was thrown to Cameron Williams, who was stripped as he was going for the game tying shot.

One of the keys of the game was the second chance points because of offensive rebounds.  The Plainsmen out rebounded the Knights 41-24 and 17-8 on the offensive boards.

The Knights fall to 21-8 on the season and 10-5 in South sub-region play.  The Knights were led in scoring by CJ Polk with 17 points. Cameron Williams added 14 points.  Shyquinn Dix added 12 points and Marco Pascolo added 10 points.  Williams had six assists and along with Pascolo had five rebounds to lead the Knights.

The Plainsmen who are 21-9 on the season and 12-4 in South sub-region were led in scoring by a trio of players with 13 points each: Logan Kelley, Robert Jones, and James Dumes.  They were led in rebounding by Shi Blake with 12 rebounds.

The Knights finish out the regular season at home on Tuesday, February 24 against McCook Community College.  The night is “Military Night”.  All veterans and active military will be admitted free to the game.

The game may be seen on www.coachesaid.com.  Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. CST​

The North Platte Community College Lady Knights were defeated by the Northeastern Junior College Plainswomen 70-60 at the Bank of Colorado Events Center in Sterling, Colorado.

The Lady Knights kept it close during the first half trailing by one at halftime.  In the second half the Lady Knights led 46-38.  The Plainswomen with the help of three consecutive three-pointers went on am 11-2 run to take the lead 49-48 with just over 10 minutes left to go in the game.  The Plainswomen went to a no point guard formation and extended their lead to 66-54 with three minutes to play.  The Lady Knights cut the lead to eight on consecutive baskets by April Stull.

One of the keys of the game was free throw shooting.  The Knights went 6 of 15 from the free throw line.

Lady Knights Head Coach Richard Thurin said “We played really well except for the last six minutes.  We played good defense and shot the ball better.  Hopefully it will get us ready for games this next week.”

The Lady Knights who are now 13-13 on the season were led by April Stull with 18 points.  T’Keya Stapleton added 15 points.

The Plainswomen who are now 23-4 on the season were led by Brooke Blair with 21 points and Jacquiline Simpson added 18

The Lady Knights finish out the regular season at home on Tuesday Feb 24 against McCook Community College.  The night has been designated as “Military Night”.  All veterans and active military will be admitted free in to the game.  Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. CST.

The game may be seen on www.coachesaid.com.​