Knights close regular season with win over Northeastern

North Platte, Neb. – Sophomore Bruce Carpenter finished with a team high 26 points, to pace five North Platte players in double figures in an 86-85 win over Northeastern Junior College on Tuesday night.

In addition, Ramiah Adedigba (16), Kayden Crosby (15), Davion Evans (10), and Antwone Gonzales (10) rounded out the Knights players in double figures. North Platte finished the game shooting 43.5 percent (30-69) from the field, while converting 13 Plainsmen turnovers into 15 points.  

Northeastern briefly took the lead with 2:20 to play, but a foul on a layup attempt sparked frustration which awarded the Knights bonus free throw opportunities. Carpenter stepped to the line and knocked down three of his four attempts to put the Knights back out front.

The margin grew to three inside the final minute, before a step-back three by Kobe Greene knotted the game up at 85-85. A perfectly designed play earned Carpenter a trip to the free throw line with a chance to put the Knights back out front with three seconds to play. Carpenter missed the first opportunity but connected on the second free throw to give North Platte the one-point advantage.

Northeastern would have an opportunity to steal the win in the final seconds but the half court heave was well short of its mark, as North Platte escaped with their third Region IX South win of the season.

The opening half featured fast paced offenses as each team looked to capture the momentum. The Plainsmen jumped out to an early 7-0 advantage, but the Knights countered to cut the margin to one possession on a contested layup by Carpenter with 12:29 to play.

The Plainsmen managed to stretch their lead back out to five, as they once again featured an uptempo offense. North Platte held strong and retaliated with an 11-2 run to take their first lead of the game inside the final five minutes. The margin remained tight down the stretch, as timely offensive possessions helped the Knights carry a 43-41 lead into the halftime break.

North Platte (13-15) will look to carry the momentum into the Region IX postseason tournament against Western Nebraska Community College on Saturday. Tip is set for 3 p.m. in Scottsbluff.