North Platte – The North Platte Community College Lady Knights basketball team (12-9, 2-1 Region IX Division II, 3-1 NCCAC) avenged their loss two weeks ago to the Central Community College Lady Raiders (17-7, 2-1 Region IX Division II, 3-2 NCCAC) by a score of 57-50 after jumping out to a 17 point lead early in the game.

The win was an important victory for the Lady Knights in both the Region IX Division II standings and also the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference (NCCAC) standings. The victory evened the Lady Knights and Lady Raiders in the standings with both owning a 2-1 record with the Lady Knights hosting Southeast Community College (12-12, 0-2 Region IX Division II, 1-2 NCCAC) and the Lady Raiders traveling to Beatrice yet this season.

“It was a big win for us in the Region,” said assistant coach Nolan Collins. “The girls are playing with a lot of confidence after winning four straight.”

The victory also gave the Lady Knights a leg up in the NCCAC race as they improved to 3-1. Other teams in the conference race are Central who is now 3-2, McCook Community College who is 1-3 and Southeast who is 1-2.

The Lady Knights got off to a blistering start and used a 10-0 run to earn their largest lead at 22-5 early in the game. April Stull led the way totaling a halftime high of seven points. The Lady Raiders would not go quietly however and used a 13-0 run of their own to cut the score at halftime to 31-23. Lindsey Larson led the Lady Raiders at the break with six points.

In the second half the Lady Raiders would continue their comeback and were able to even gain a lead over the Lady Knights. North Platte would answer with strong play of their own to earn as much as a 12 point lead before a 3-pointer with a second left made the final margin seven for the Lady Knights.

DaVontaye Merritt did not score in double-figures for the second straight game, but was able to pull down a game-high 18 rebounds. Jordan Dickerson and Aliyah Brown led the way for the Lady Knights in scoring as they each scored 11 points. April Stull also was in double-figures for the Lady Knights with 10 points.

Sophia Yarger was the only Lady Raider in double-figures with 17. North Platte native Shelby Allberry again led the Lady Raiders in rebounds with seven.

The Lady Knights take the road next week as they face the Northeastern Junior College Plainswomen (9-10) on Tuesday Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m. CST in Sterling, Colo. and then travel to Lamar, Colo. to take on the Lamar Community College Runnin’ Lopes (12-7) on Friday Feb.7 at 6:30 p.m. CST. The Lady Knights fell to the Plainswomen 51-67 at home back in December and knocked off the Runnin’ Lopes 87-84 at home earlier this year.

North Platte – The No. 5 North Platte Community College men’s basketball team’s (20-1, 9-1 South Sub-Region) earned their 20th victory of the season on Thursday night as they knocked off the Hastings College JV Broncos 82-71 behind 21 points from Tim Simmons.

Playing in their second game in as many days, the Knights couldn’t take control of the game in the first half as they played back and forth with the Broncos. The Knights would eventually take a 34-29 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, the Knights upped the pace and intensity as they scored 48 points in the half. North Platte was able to stretch their lead to 10 points, but could not stretch their lead any more until the latter stages of the game. Free throws down the stretch iced the game for the Knights.

To go along with Simmons game high, Ethan Montalvo and Cameron Williams each scored 16 points for the Knights. Freshman Luke Pittle came off the bench to score a career-high 11 points. Sophomore Tre’Vaun Hymer led the Knights with six rebounds to go along with six points.

Alex Thayer and Nate Maloley led the Broncos with 17 points each. Calista Nyambura was also in double-figures with 13 as was Derek Kissinger with 12.

“It was a hard fought victory,” said head coach Kevin O’Connor. “Give a lot of credit to Hastings, they really shot the ball well. Another short turnaround as we have to get prepared for Central on Saturday.”

The Knights play their third game of the week at home Saturday as they host the Central Community College Raiders (17-4, 2-1 NCCAC) on Saturday Feb. 1 at 3 p.m. The Knights defeated the Raiders 78-71 in Columbus earlier this year.

Saturday’s game will also be Boy Scout Night at the college as Boy Scout’s will be given free admission and the Knights basketball team will sign autographs after the game.

Saturday’s will be broadcast live by Coaches Aid and ASBN. A link to all live broadcasted games is available on the Knights webpage at www.npccknights.com. The game with Central Community College will also be broadcast live by ESPN radio 1410 and online.

Next week the Knights take to the road to face the Northeastern Junior College Plainsmen (19-2, 6-2 South Sub-Region) on Tuesday Feb. 4 at 8:30 p.m. CST and the Lamar Community College Runnin’ Lopes (6-16, 2-6 South Sub-Region) on Friday Feb. 7 at 8:30 p.m. CST.

North Platte – The No. 5 North Platte Community College men’s basketball team’s (19-1, 9-1 South Sub-Region, 3-0 NCCAC) emerged victorious Tuesday night in a hard fought game over the McCook Community College Indians (15-7, 6-4 South Sub-Region, 1-2 NCCAC) by a score of 82-79. The win was the 900th win in program history and 586th in head coach Kevin O’Connor’s career.

“McCook is a very talented team,” said assistant coach Nathan Wieseler. “Any time you get two rivals in the same building it is going to be a great game and tonight was no exception. We were fortune to come out on top tonight.”

The Knights and Indians battled back and forth all night as neither team was able to gain a substantial advantage. Over the course of the game, there were eight lead changes and seven ties. The largest lead of the game was when the Knights earned an 11 point lead that was very short lived.

During the first half both teams battled back and forth with the Knights gaining a 41-36 lead at the intermission. Ethan Montalvo shouldered most of the load in the first half as he had 16 points as the only Knight in double-figures. Dominic Williams was the only Indian in double-figures with 12 points as the Knights held a slim 41-36 advantage at the break.

In the second half the Knights and Indians continued to battle back and forth with the Knights able to gain an 11 point advantage as their largest lead of the game. The Indians would not go quietly and continued to battle.

A banked 3-pointer by Cody Wudtke gave the Indians their only lead of the second half at a score of 77-76. The Knights would increase their defensive intensity and hold the Indians to only a lay-up by Tony Dobbinson late in the game.

The play of the game was a Tim Simmons offensive rebound with under a minute to go in a tie game. In one motion, Simmons rebounded the missed shot and put it back up as he was fouled for an and one. Simmons made the free throw to give the Knights a three point lead. On the ensuing possession, Dobbinson made his last field goal of the game to cut the deficit to one. Cameron Williams was fouled and made one of two free throws to give the Knights an 81-79 lead.

Williams missed the second free throw and during the ensuing scramble, the ball went out of bounds off the Knights with eight seconds remaining. After a McCook timeout, Dobbinson missed a contested 3-pointer to take the lead. Williams was again fouled by the Indians with 0.4 seconds remaining, where he made the first free throw and missed the second as the desperation heave hit the speakers in the rafters to preserve the victory for the Knights.

Montalvo led the Knights in scoring with 25 points on 8 of 11 shooting from the floor. Cameron Williams was huge in the second half as he finished with 23 points on 11 of 14 shooting from the free throw line. Marco Pascolo was the only other Knight in double-figures with 11 points. Jacob Maslo led the Knights with eight rebounds and also contributed eight points.

“We came into the game knowing it was a huge rivalry game and we played really good as a team,” said sophomore Jacob Maslo. “Our focus was to get rebounds and guard them as a team. It was a great crowd and win for our team.”

Dominic Williams fouled out of the game but led the Indians with a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. The Indians leading scorer Tony Dobbinson finished with 19 points on 8 of 21 shooting from the floor. D’Andre Downey was the third Indian in double-figures as he finished with 13 points.

The Knights return to action tomorrow as they host the Hastings College JV Broncos at 7 p.m. at McDonald-Belton Gymnasisum. The Knights then finish out the week by hosting the Central Community College Raiders (16-4, 1-1 NCCAC) on Saturday Feb. 1 at 3 p.m. The Knights defeated the Broncos in Hastings 82-79 and the Raiders 78-71 in Columbus earlier this year.

Saturday’s game will also be Boy Scout Night at the college as Boy Scout’s will be given free admission and the Knights basketball team will sign autographs after the game.

Both home games will be broadcast live by Coaches Aid and ASBN. A link to all live broadcasted games is available on the Knights webpage at www.npccknights.com. Thursday’s game with Hastings JV will also be broadcast live by ESPN radio 1410 and online.

North Platte – The North Platte Community College Lady Knights basketball team (11-9, 1-1 Region IX Division II, 2-1 NCCAC) defeated the McCook Community College Lady Indians (3-19, 0-3 NCCAC) in overtime Wednesday night at McDonald-Belton Gymnasium 64-58 after out-scoring the Lady Indians 9 to 3 in the overtime period.

The game is a Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference (NCCAC) and the win gives the Lady Knights a 2-1 record while dropping the Lady Indians to 0-3.

The Lady Knights and Lady Indians both struggled to gain an offensive rhythm. Both teams broke the 10 point mark within seconds as both teams hit 3-pointers to break a 7 to 7 tie with 12:23 remaining in the first half. The Lady Knights used a 6-0 run to gain an eight point lead near the end of the first half before a Lady Indians basket made the halftime score 26-20.

In the second half, it was again a defensive struggle with the Lady Knights able to maintain their lead and stretch it out to 11 points at 49-38. The Lady Knights struggled to hit free throws down the stretch and gave the Lady Indians a chance. McCook was able to tie the game with 30 seconds remaining with North Platte having one more chance to win the game in regulation. After a Lady Knights timeout, Aliyah Brown was unable to convert and the game headed into overtime.

In overtime, the Lady Knights took control early to win the game by six points as they converted free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory and add a game in the win column of the NCCAC standings.

“I thought we shot well from the field and played good defense,” said head coach Richard Thurin. “It was a good win for our team with a huge game coming up Saturday.”

The Lady Knights were led by Courtney Widick who finished with 18 points on 6 of 13 shooting. Aliyah Brown was the only other Lady Knight in double-figures with 12 points. Leading scorer DaVontaye Merritt was held to only 6 points but contributed 11 rebounds.

Mary-Ann Frederick led the Lady Indians with 14 points and nine rebounds. Cydnee Ceballos was the only other Lady Indian in double-figures as she finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.

The Lady Knights finish out the week hosting the Central Community College Lady Raiders (16-6, 1-0 Region IX Division II, 2-0 NCCAC) on Saturday Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. The Lady Knights fell 67-74 two weeks ago in Columbus. The game is very important in the Region IX Division II standings and the NCCAC standings.

The game with Central Community College will also be the annual Girl Scout Night with Girl Scouts getting into the game. After the game, the Lady Knights will sign autographs for the Girl Scouts.

The game with Central Community College will be broadcast live online with links available on the Knights website (www.npccknights.com) through the partnership with Coaches Aid and ASBN.

North Platte – The North Platte Community College Lady Knights basketball team (10-9, 1-1 Region IX Division II, 1-1 NCCAC) defeated the York College JV Lady Panthers easily Tuesday evening at McDonald-Belton Gymnasium 99-51 as all 20 players who suited up scored in the game.

The Lady Knights scored early and often Tuesday night as they opened up an early lead over the Lady Panthers and never looked back. The Lady Knights raced out to a 24-2 lead before the York JV scored their second basket of the game. The Knight then scored nine straight before a York JV free throw made it 33-5.

The Lady Knights held the Lady Panthers under 10 points until a driving lay-up with 7:02 remaining in the first half made the score 40-10. The Lady Knights took a 56-16 lead into the locker room as 11 players scored in the half.

The second half was more back and forth as the Lady Knights won the half 43-35. The Lady Knights only turned the ball over 11 times and out-rebounded the Lady Panthers 51-31. For the game, the Lady Knights shot 55 percent from the field and 43 percent from the 3-point line.

All 12 players scored for the Lady Knights who were led by DaVontaye Merritt’s 18 points on 9 of 10 shooting. Courtney Widick score 17 points while Samantha Hyatt and Alleyah Evans both scored 10. Kristian Roth had 10 rebounds for the Lady Knights.

All eight players suited up for the Lady Panthers scored. Darbi Klinkhammer led the way with 17 points while Liz Maher scored 14.

“Tonight was a good opportunity to get a lot of girls playing time,” said head coach Richard Thurin. “It was great to have everyone score and we are very excited for tomorrow’s game.”

The Lady Knights return to action tomorrow as they host the McCook Community College Lady Indians (3-18, 0-2 NCCAC) at 5:30 p.m. The Lady Knights finish out the week hosting Central Community College (16-6, 1-0 Region IX Division II, 2-0 NCCAC) on Saturday Feb. 1 at 1 p.m.

The game with Central Community College will also be the annual Girl Scout Night with Girl Scouts getting into the game. After the game, the Lady Knights will sign autographs for the Girl Scouts.

Both games will be broadcast live online with links available on the Knights website (www.npccknights.com) through the partnership with Coaches Aid and ASBN. The game with McCook Community College will also be broadcast live on ESPN 1410 radio and online.

North Platte – The North Platte Community College Lady Knights basketball team (9-9, 1-1 Region IX Division II, 1-1 NCCAC) returns home for three home games this week after playing five straight on the road. The Lady Knights start the home swing by hosting the York College JV on Tuesday Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. North Platte then hosts McCook Community College (3-18, 0-2 NCCAC) the next day on Wednesday Jan. 29 at 5:30 p.m. The Lady Knights finish out the week hosting Central Community College (16-6, 1-0 Region IX Division II, 2-0 NCCAC) on Saturday Feb. 1 at 1 p.m.

The Lady Knights host the York College JV Lady Panthers in a rematch from earlier this season. The Lady Knights and Lady Panthers played in York at the beginning of December with North Platte earning the 65-56 victory. In that contest the Lady Knights were led by sophomores Jordan Dickerson and DaVontaye Merritt who finished with 15 and 14 points respectively. Aliyah Brown was also in double-figures with 10 points. Mesha Ellison led the Lady Panthers with 18 points.

On Wednesday the Lady Knights take on the McCook Community College Lady Indians in a Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference (NCCAC) game. It is the first of two meetings between the teams as North Platte heads to McCook for the rematch on Feb. 11. North Platte is currently 1-1 in the NCCAC while McCook is 0-2. McCook is led by Cydnee Ceballos who averages 12.6 points per game.

The Lady Knights then host the Central Community College Lady Raiders in a rematch from Jan. 18. In that game the Lady Raiders out-scored the Lady Knights 49 to 32 in the second half to earn the 67-74 victory. DaVontaye Merritt was the leading scorer in the game with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Courtney Widick and April Stull were also in double-figures with 14 and 12 respectively. The Lady Raiders placed three players in double-figures and had 11 different players score.

The game with Central Community College will also be the annual Girl Scout Night with Girl Scouts getting into the game. After the game, the Lady Knights will sign autographs for the Girl Scouts.

All three games will be broadcast live online with links available on the Knights website (www.npccknights.com) through the partnership with Coaches Aid and ASBN. The games with York College JV, McCook Community College and Central Community College will also be broadcast live on ESPN 1410 radio and online.

La Junta, CO – The No. 7 North Platte Community College men’s basketball team’s (18-1, 8-1 South Sub-Region) finished out their seven game road swing to start 2014 with a victory over the Otero Junior College Rattlers (16-6, 5-4 South Sub-Region) by a score of 88-62.

The Knights played with a great defensive intensity to start the game as they scored the first 10 points of the game before letting the Rattlers on the scoreboard. The Knights never let the Rattlers get into an offensive rhythm during the whole game on their way to the victory. North Platte would maintain their advantage to take a 36-23 lead into intermission.Marco Pascolo and Cameron Williams were the only two players in double-figures at the break as Pascolo hit four 3-pointers for 12 points and Williams had 10 points.

In the second half the Knights picked up where they left on and continued to maintain their advantage and increase it. For the game, the Knights would shoot 50 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Rattlers 39 to 18.

“We played a pretty complete basketball game,” said assistant coach Nathan Wieseler. “We had a couple guys step up off the bench and make some plays which was great to see. After not playing at home for over a month we are excited to play in front of our home crown this week.”

The Knights put four players in double-figures, once again led by Ethan Montalvo who scored 24 points in the game including 12 of 13 from the free throw line. Williams and Pascolo both finished with 17 points and Tim Simmons scored 11. Williams led the Knights with seven assists and Jacob Maslo and Aireon Porter both pulled down seven rebounds.

“It was a hard fought victory,” said Williams. “I tried to be aggressive and put pressure on their defense then find my teammates for open shots. I am excited to play at home on Wednesday.”

Chris Golden was the only Rattler in double-figures as he finished with 16 points on 3 of 11 shooting.

The Knights return home for the first time in 2014 on Wednesday Jan. 29 to face the McCook Community College Indians (14-6, 5-3 South Sub-Region) at 7:30 p.m. in a Region IX and Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference contest.

The Knights then host the Hastings College JV the next day on Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. On Saturday Feb. 1 at 3 p.m. the Knights host Central Community College to finish up the three game home stand before heading back onto the road for their last three road games of the year.

All three home games will be broadcast live by Coaches Aid and ASBN. A link to all live broadcasted games is available on the Knights webpage at www.npccknights.com.

Fremont – The North Platte Community College Lady Knights basketball team (9-9, 1-1 Region IX Division II) evened their record on Saturday afternoon as they defeated the Midland University JV on the road 75-54 behind another strong performance from DaVontaye Merritt.

The Lady Knights got off to a hot start Saturday and never looked back as they cruised to victory. In the first twenty minutes the Lady Knights out-scored the Lady Warriors 37-23 on 44 percent shooting while holding Midland JV to 22 percent shooting from the field.

In the second half the Lady Knights would extend their lead by winning the half 38-31 to earn the 21 point victory. The Lady Knights ended up shooting 43 percent from the field while holding the Lady Warriors to 31 percent for the game. The Lady Knights also forced Midland JV into 31 turnovers.

“It was good to have four girls in double-figures,” said head coach Richard Thurin. “Our press forced them into turnovers and we shot well from the field at 42 percent.”

DaVontaye Merritt again led the Lady Knights as she finished one rebound shy of another double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds. Courtney Widick chipped in 13 for the Lady Knights and Jordan Dickerson and Kirra Hill-Carter were also in double-figures with 10 points each.

The Lady Warriors placed three players in double-figres led by Miranda Paul and Montana Hinrichs who each scored 12. Breanna Bentley finished with 10 points.

The Lady Knights return home on Tuesday after five straight home games starting. The Lady Knights host the York College JV on Jan 28 at 7:20 p.m. The Lady Knights play the McCook Community College Lady Indians (3-16) the next day on Wednesday Jan. 29 at 5:30 p.m.

The Lady Knights finish out the week as they host the Central Community College Lady Raiders (15-6, 1-0 Region IX Division II). All three games will be broadcast live online with links available on the Knights website through the partnership with Coaches Aid and ASBN.