Trinidad, CO – The No. 7 North Platte Community College men’s basketball team’s (17-1, 7-1 South Sub-Region) survived the hot shooting Trinidad State Junior College Trojans (8-12, 1-6 South Sub-Region) who hit 18 3-points Friday night in overtime 99-92.

The Knights continued their streak of starting off games fast as they jumped out to a 21-7 lead in the first nine minutes of the game. The Trojans would not go quietly on their home floor as they battled back to take 38-37 lead into the locker room. Trinidad State shot the ball well from the 3-point line in the half as they made 3 of 7 for 43 percent, but it was nothing like the shooting performance the Trojans would put on in the second half.

The Trojans were able to hold on to their lead for much of the half as they shot 14 of 20 from the 3-point line, good for a 70 percent average. The Knights took the Trojans best punch and were able to hang in the game. During the last few minutes of regulation the teams would battle back and forth as neither team could take more than two point advantage.

With 28 seconds left, the Knights had the ball down 83-81. Ethan Montalvo was knocked to the ground with 10 seconds left and went to the foul line with a chance to tie the game. He knocked down both free throws to tie the game. Joe Smith had a final opportunity to win the game in regulation but Tim Simmons forced him into a double-pump fade away shot to send the game into regulation.

In overtime the Knights got on the board first on a lay-up from Marco Pascolo and were able to outscore the Trojans 16-9 in overtime behind Ethan Montalvo who was perfect from the free throw line.

Montalvo again led the way for the Knights as he finished with 22 points as he was perfect from the field and the free throw line as he was 3 of 3 and 15 of 15 respectively. Tim Simmons shouldered a larger scoring burden as he scored 21 points. Marco Pascolo had 20 points on 4 of 5 shooting from the 3-point line. Aireon Porter and Jake Maslo both had double-doubles as Porter finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds and Maslo had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

“It was a tough battle,” said sophomore Tim Simmons. “We made some plays down the stretch to come out with the win.”

Joe Smith led the Trojans with 25 points on 6 of 7 shooting from behind the 3-point line. Trinidad State had four other players in double-figures led by Preston Bungei with 15 while Keouvion McCalop, Kevin DeCristino and Abdullah Musleh all had 11 points.

“It was a tough win,” said head coach Kevin O’Connor. “We let them gain some confidence after a good start. We have to get some rest tonight and bounce back tomorrow.

The Knights are back on the court tomorrow at 4 p.m. CST as they make the trip to La Junta, Colo. to face the Otero Junior College Rattlers (15-5, 4-3 South Sub-Region). In the first rematch of the 2013 Region IX Championship game, the Knights were able to defend their home court as they beat the Rattlers 93-67.

The Knights return home for the first time in 2014 on Wednesday Jan. 29 to face the McCook Community College Indians (14-5, 5-2 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 their three game home stand before heading back onto the road for their last three road games of the year.

Norfolk – The North Platte Community College Lady Knights basketball team (8-9, 1-1 DII Region IX Division II) traveled to Norfolk Friday evening and fell to the Northeast Community College Lady Hawks (18-2) by a score of 81-49 after falling behind 43-20 at intermission.

The Lady Knights got off to a slow start against the Lady Hawks and it showed on the scoreboard as Northeast was able to score early and often en route to a 23 points halftime advantage. In the second the Lady Knights were able find more of an offensive rhythm but were unable to win the half as they fell to the Lady Hawks.

Jordan Dickerson led the way for the Lady Knights as she tallied 15 points. DaVontaye Merritt had another double-double as she finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Merritt us averaging 15 points and 12 rebounds in the five games since Christmas break.

Emily Gamble and Alison Klostergaard led the Lady Hawks with 17 points apiece and Klostergaard had a double-double with 10 rebounds. Three other players scored in double-figures for Northeast.

Both teams turned the ball over as North Platte had 25 turnovers and Northeast had 22.

“Tonight was a tough game against a very good team,” said assistant coach Nolan Collins. “We played well in spurts but we have too many lapses. Merritt came up big again tonight ad has been huge for us since coming back from break.”

North Platte remains on the road tomorrow to face the Midland University JV at 2 p.m. in Fremont. The Lady Knights and Lady Warriors faced off in the opening game of the year for the Lady Knights who emerged victorious 74-45.

The Lady Knights return home after five straight home games starting on Tuesday Jan. 28 as they host the York College JV at 7:30 p.m. The Lady Knights then turn around and host the McCook Community College Lady Indians the next day on Jan. 29 at 5:30 p.m. and the Central Community College Lady Raiders on Feb. 1 at 1 p.m.

North Platte – The #7 North Platte Community College men’s basketball team’s (16-1, 6-1 South Sub-Region) travel to Trinidad, Colo. and La Junta, Colo. this weekend to finish up their seven game road swing to start the Spring 2014 semester. The Knights first take on the Trinidad State Junior College Trojans (8-11, 1-5 South Sub-Region) on Friday night Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. CST before facing the Otero Junior College Rattlers (15-5, 4-3 South Sub-Region) Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. CST.

The Knights have hosted the Trojans and Rattlers already this year. Next Wednesday’s home game with the McCook Community College Indians (14-5, 5-2 South Sub-Region) is the last game against a new opponent for the Knights during the regular season.

The first time the Knights and Trojans squared off, the Knights emerged victorious by a score of 105-86. In that game the Knights placed five players in double-figures and were led by Marco Pascolo who finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Other players scoring in double-figures were Ethan Montalvo (26), Cameron Williams (20), Tim Simmons (13) andAireon Porter (11). The Trojans were led by a game-high 31 points from Richard McCalop.

In the first rematch of the 2013 Region IX Championship game, the Knights were able to defend their home court as they beat the Rattlers 93-67. Cameron Williams led the way as he tallied 26 points. Jake Maslo scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds, Ethan Montalvo had 16 points and seven assists and Tim Simmons finished with 11 points in the Knights victory. Nick Ongarato was the lone Rattler in double-figures as he finished with 14 points.

The Knights return home for the first time in 2014 on Wednesday Jan. 29 to face the McCook Community College Indians 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 their three game home stand before heading back onto the road for their last three road games of the year.

North Platte – The North Platte Community College Lady Knights basketball team (8-8, 1-1 DII Region IX Division II) remain on the road for two more road games this weekend as they travel to Norfolk on Friday January 24 to take on the Northeast Community College Lady Hawks (16-2) and then finish up on Saturday January 25 in Fremont to take on the Midland University JV Lady Warriors.

The Lady Knights first take on the Lady Hawks on Friday at 6 p.m. The two teams have met once before with the Lady Hawks earning the victory in North Platte 47-68.

In that game the Lady Knights were led by DaVontaye Merritt who finished with 17 points. The Lady Hawks had three players in double figures as Emily Gamble led the way with 19 followed by Yasmin Miller with 11 and Alison Kolstergaard with 10. Klostergaard leads the Lady Hawks with 12.1 ppg average while Merritt leads the Lady Knights with a 17.3 ppg average.

North Platte stays on the road Saturday to face the Midland University JV at 2 p.m. The Lady Knights and Lady Warriors faced off in the opening game of the year for the Lady Knights who emerged victorious 74-45.

In their first meeting four players scored in double-figures for the Lady Knights led by DaVontaye Merritt who scored 22 points and had 13 rebounds. April Stull scored 12 points while Jordan Dickerson had 11 and Elisha Coleman had 10. Shae Brennan and Emily Pfannensteil paced the Lady Warriors with nine points apiece.

The Lady Knights return home after five straight home games on Tuesday Jan. 28 as they host the York College JV at 7:30 p.m. The Lady Knights then turn around and host the McCook Community College Lady Indians the next day on Jan. 29 at 5:30 p.m. and the Central Community College Lady Raiders on Feb. 1 at 1 p.m.

Columbus – The No. 3 North Platte Community College men’s basketball team’s (16-1, 6-1 South Sub-Region, 2-0 NCCAC) knocked off the Central Community College Raiders (14-4, 1-1 NCCAC) 78-71 in a Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference game behind four players in double figures.

“A great way for our team to respond after dropping our first game,” said assistant coach Nathan Wieseler. “Going on the road and getting a win is never easy. We are happy to be heading home with two more wins.”

For the second straight game, the Knights got out of the gate hot to jump on the home team. In this game, the Knights opened up 26-14 lead over the Raiders. The Raiders would not go quietly as they battled back to trail only 36-33. Ethan Montalvo continued his scoring spree as he was the only player in double-figures at half with 12 points.

“We knew they were a good team and were going to battle back after our good start,” said Marco Pascolo. “We were able to respond and earn the victory. It was a good win for team morale.”

In the second half, the Knights would score a couple baskets in the row, only to see Central go on a mini run of their own. The Raiders were able to tie the game three times in the second half, but were never able to take a lead. During the last five minutes North Platte stretched the lead to 10 points and held off the Raiders for the victory.

Montalvo again led the Knights with 21 points and seven rebounds. Marco Pascolo chipped in 19 points while Cameron Williams also scored 19 points and dished out six assists. Tim Simmons was the fourth Knight in double-figures as he finished with 14 points. Aireon Porter tied Montalvo for the team lead in rebounds with seven.

The Raiders were well balanced as all five starters scored in double-figures. Tra-Deon Hollins led the way with 16 points. Tyron Criswell (14 points), John Ruffin (12 points), David Plain (11 points) and Riak Bol (10 points) were the other Raiders to score double-figures.

North Platte Community, Southeast Community College, Central Community College and McCook Community College make up the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference (NCCAC). The four schools play home and home this season, so today and tomorrow’s games count towards the conference championship for the Knights. Southeast fell at home to McCook 94-84 while Central defended their home court by knocking off McCook 96-92. North Platte defeated Southeast 83-68 last night.

The Knights have two more road games next week before returning home Wednesday January 29 to face the McCook Community College Indians (12-4, 3-2 South Sub-Region, 1-1 NCCAC) at 7:30 p.m. The Knights travel to face the Trinidad State Junior College Trojans (8-10, 1-5 South Sub-Region) on Friday January 24 at 8:30 p.m. CST and stay on the road to take on the Otero Junior College Rattlers (14-5, 4-3 South Sub-Region) in La Junta, Colo. on Saturday January 25 at 2 p.m. CST.

Columbus – The North Platte Community College Lady Knights basketball team (8-8, 1-1 DII Region IX Division II, 1-1NCCAC) dropped a tough fought game to the Central Community College Lady Raiders (13-6, 1-0 Region IX Division II, 2-0 NCCAC) in Columbus 67-74 after holding a 35-25 lead at halftime.

The Lady Knights continued their hot play from last night as the Lady Knights started the game playing well. The Lady Knights would slowly stretch the lead throughout half before taking the 10 point lead into the locker room.

In the second half the Lady Raiders would turn the tables on the Lady Knights as they chipped away at the lead before taking a lead of their own. The Lady Raiders forced the Lady Knights into 24 turnovers for the game.

“We played good during the first half,” said head coach Richard Thurin “but we had too many turnovers in the second half.”

DaVontaye Merritt again led the Lady Knights as she finished with another double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Courtney Widick scored 14 for North Platte and April Stull chipped in 12. Jordan Dickerson had six assists to lead the Lady Knights.

The Lady Raiders also placed three players in double figures led by Sophia Yarger with 16 points. Alyssa Foltz had 15 points and Javona Wynne had 10 points. North Platte native Shelby Allberry led the Lady Raiders in rebounds with seven.

North Platte Community College, Southeast Community College and Central Community College are the three teams that comprise the Region IX Division II schools for women’s basketball. The three teams all play a home and home to seed the Region IX Division II Tournament. The #1 seed receives a bye, while the #2 seed hosts the #3 seed. The winner then plays at the #1 seed for the Region IX Division II Championship. North Platte defeated Southeast 59-50 last night in Beatrice.

North Platte Community, Southeast Community College, Central Community College and McCook Community College make up the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference (NCCAC). The four schools play home and home this season, so today and tomorrow’s games are doubly important for the Lady Knights. Both Southeast (79-75) and Central (82-68) have defeated McCook on their home court this season.

The Lady Knights remain on the road next week as they return to road when they face the Northeast Community College Lady Hawks on Friday Jan. 24 at 6 p.m. and the Midland University JV on Saturday Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. The Lady Knights return home Tuesday Jan. 28 as they host the York College JV.

Beatrice – The No. 3 North Platte Community College men’s basketball team’s (15-1, 6-1 South Sub-Region, 1-0 NCCAC) Ethan Montalvo put on a show Friday night in Beatrice as he scored 40 points to lead the Knights to a 83-68 victory over the Southeast Community College Storm (16-6, 0-2 NCCAC).

North Platte Community College, Southeast Community College, Central Community College and McCook Community College make up the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference (NCCAC). The four schools play home and home this season, so today and tomorrow’s games count towards the conference championship for the Knights. Southeast fell at home to McCook 94-84 while Central defended their home court by knocking off McCook 96-92.

Montalvo started scoring early and often as he helped the Knights get off to an early 27-7 lead. The Storm would not go quietly and with a raucous crowd fought back to trail 41-35 at intermission behind several run out baskets. Montalvo scored 23 points in the first half to keep the Knights in the lead.

In the second half, the Storm continued to play hard but could never get over the hump to take a lead. Every time the Storm would cut the score to a one possession game the Knights would answer. Sophomore Tim Simmons hit two huge 3-pointers late in the game to hold off the Storm.

The 40 points scored by Montalvo is a career-high at North Platte that came on 14-21 shooting from the field, 6-10 from behind the 3-point line and 6-7 from the free throw line to go along with six rebounds, five steals and two assists.

“That was the first time I ever scored 40,” said Montalvo. “My teammates did a great job putting me in position to score and having confidence in me to make shots.”

Cameron Williams was also in double figures as he finished with 14 points and Tim Simmons finished 12. Aireon Porter had seven rebounds to lead the Knights while Akau Deng had six. Josh Roberts led the Storm with 17 points, but only three in the second half.

“Ethan put on a show tonight,” said assistant coach Nathan Wieseler. “The most impressive thing was that he scored every way you could, from behind the 3 point line, midrange jump shots, getting to the basket and from the free throw line. A short turnaround now as we have another big game tomorrow afternoon at Columbus.”

The Knights return to action Saturday as they travel to face the Central Community College Raiders (14-3, 1-0 NCCAC) at 3 p.m. The Knights have two more road games next week before returning home Wednesday January 29 to face the McCook Community College Indians (12-4, 3-2 South Sub-Region, 1-1 NCCAC) at 7:30 p.m.

Beatrice – The North Platte Community College Lady Knights basketball team (8-7, 1-0 DII Region IX Division II, 1-0 NCCAC) went into Beatrice and emerged victorious over the Southeast Community College Lady Storm (11-10, 0-1 Region IX Division II, 1-1 NCCAC) in a hard fought 59-50 battle.

North Platte Community College, Southeast Community College and Central Community College are the three teams that comprise the Region IX Division II schools for women’s basketball. The three teams all play a home and home to seed the Region IX Division II Tournament. The #1 seed receives a bye, while the #2 seed hosts the #3 seed. The winner then plays at the #1 seed for the Region IX Division II Championship.

North Platte Community, Southeast Community College, Central Community College and McCook Community College make up the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference (NCCAC). The four schools play home and home this season, so today and tomorrow’s games are doubly important for the Lady Knights. Both Southeast (79-75) and Central (82-68) have defeated McCook on their home court this season.

The Lady Knights started out the game slow as the Lady Storm were able to take a 25-30 lead into the locker room. The Lady Knights started the second half strong as they would race out to a 10 point lead. The Lady Knights would maintain their lead to knock off the Lady Storm and earn the first victory of the season in the Region IX Division II race.

DaVontaye Merritt and April Stull both recorded double-doubles in the victory. Merritt finished with 22 points and 16 rebound while Stull had 16 points and 16 rebounds. Jordan Dickerson had 5 assists for the Lady Knights. Chealseah Savage and Meshia Smith each had 18 points for the Lady Storm.

“We took a step in the right direction,” said assistant coach Nolan Collins. “We played the best half of the year in the second half defensively. We need to carry it over to tomorrow which is another important game.”

The Lady Knights have a quick turnaround as they travel to Columbus to face the Central Community College Lady Raiders (12-6, 0-0 Region IX Division II, 1-0 NCCAC) tomorrow at 1 p.m. in another important Region IX Division II matchup.

The Lady Knights remain on the road next week as they return to road when they face the Northeast Community College Lady Hawks on Friday Jan. 24 at 6 p.m. and the Midland University JV on Saturday Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. The Lady Knights return home Tuesday Jan. 28 as they host the York College JV.

Cheyenne, WY – The No. 3 North Platte Community College men’s basketball team (14-1, 6-1 South Sub-Region) suffered their first loss of the season on Wednesday night to Laramie County Community College Golden Eagles (14-6, 5-2 South Sub-Region) 78-82. The Knights trailed by 12 points at half and could never get over the hump in the second half, cutting the lead to two with under a minute to go.

The Knights opened the first half sluggish and were never able to find their rhythm as they only shot 41 percent from the field in the first half. Sophomore Ethan Montalvo kept the Knights in the game by scoring 15 first half points. Deshon Portly and Deon Edwin paced the Golden Eagles with 14 and 11 first half points to take a 45-33 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, the Knights hung around but could not cut into the Golden Eagles lead until the under-five minute mark. The Knights forced a couple Laramie County turnovers and converted in transition to cut into the lead. After one such steal and lay-up by Kenyon Gist, the Knights cut the deficit to two points and immediately fouled.

Laramie County missed two free throws and gave the Knights an opportunity to tie or win the game with 23 seconds left. The Knights were unable to score and called a timeout with five seconds remaining. The Knights were unable to score and Laramie County hit two free throws to earn the hard fought victory.

Ethan Montalvo scored a game-high 28 points in defeat. Cameron Williams was the only other Knight to score in double-figures as he finished with 21 points. Portley finished with 26 points while Edwin finished with 15. The Golden Eagles shot 33 free throws in the game to the Knights 17.

“Always tough to lose, especially the first one of the season,” said assistant coach Nathan Wieseler. “We need to have a good day of practice before we face two tough opponents this weekend.”

The Knights return to action Friday at 7:30 p.m. as they travel to face the Southeast Community College Storm (16-5). The Knights remain on the road Saturday to face the Central Community College Raiders (14-3) at 3 p.m. The Knights have two more road games next week before returning home Wednesday January 29 to face the McCook Community College Indians (12-4, 3-2 South Sub-Region) at 7:30 p.m.