Knights fight off Lancers to earn win at home

North Platte, Neb. – Alex Harper had a team high 22 points, as the Knights earn the 75-63 win over Eastern Wyoming College on Friday night.

"I am really proud of how we handled adversity in the second half," said head coach Jacob Brandl. "Guys made plays when we needed them and that is a good sign for us moving forward."

Harper's points came on 5-of-16 shooting from the field to lead three Knights players in double figures. North Platte finished the game shooting 34.8 percent (24-69) from the field, while forcing 31 Eastern Wyoming turnovers.

Sedrick Nari scored six of North Platte's opening 16 points as they jumped out to a 14-point lead. The margin stretched to 18, before the Lancers went on a 7-0 run to cut the margin to 25-14.

A three by Omel Occeus ended the run while igniting the North Platte offense as the lead drifted back into double digits. Eastern Wyoming managed to trim the margin to 41-26 headed into the halftime break.

The black and gold traded buckets with the Lancers to open the second half. Eastern Wyoming mounted a run at the halfway point to cut the margin to five, forcing a North Platte timeout.

The game remained tight until a 9-3 run pushed the Knights lead to 67-56 with 2:53 to play. Eastern Wyoming managed to cut the lead inside ten, but the Knights matched the Lancers down the stretch to close out the win.

Knights (5-5) return to the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium on Saturday to take on Laramie County Community College. Tip is set for 3 p.m.