Shooting woes plague Knights in loss to Southeast

Beatrice, Neb. – North Platte could not find their rhythm on offense in an 85-69 loss to Southeast Community College on Friday night.

Bruce Carpenter led all North Platte scorers with 19 points, while teammate Antwone Gonzales chipped in 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field. As a team, North Platte closed out the game shooting 37.7 percent (26-69) from the floor, but only connected on 1-of-12 from the perimeter against the Storm.

Knights scored the opening basket of the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference matchup, but quickly saw Southeast respond with an 11-2 run to capture the momentum. The next four minutes belonged to the Knights, as they closed the deficit to five on a floater by Ramiah Adedigba. A quick layup on the next Southeast possession pushed the margin to seven, but a free throw from Adedigba and a three pointer by Sam Lootens cut the deficit to 19-16 with 10:07 to play in the opening half.

North Platte evened the game at 22-22, but the Storm countered with a long run over the next 2:25 to build a comfortable 36-22 lead. Knights outscored the Storm over the closing minutes, but Southeast still managed to hold the double digit lead at the halftime break.

A quick run to open the second half narrowed the margin to nine, but tough defense by the Storm kept the Knights uncomfortable on the offensive end. The margin grew back to double digits on their next offensive possession where it would stay until the final two minutes. A Knights steal and transition dunk by Gonzales and layup by Adedigba cut the deficit to 77-69, but Southeast held the Knights scoreless over the final 1:37 to earn the win.

North Platte (9-8) returns to the hardwood on Tuesday, Jan. 31 against Northeastern Junior College. Tip is set for 8:30 p.m. inside the Bank of Colorado Event Center in Sterling, Colo.