Knights close out Plainsmen at the free throw line

North Platte, Neb. – North Platte made seven clutch free throws in the final minute to earn the 72-64 win over Northeastern Junior College on Friday night.

Sedrick Nari led all scorers with 16 points including knocking down 10-of -10 from the free throw line. Mo Diao added 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds, while Trey Summers (12) and Justus Michael (10) closed out the Knights players in double figures.

"We started the game hot, but then we went cold from the field," said head coach Jacob Brandl. "I was happy to see how we cleaned things up in the second half."

A bucket by Michael helped North Platte take back the lead inside the opening minute of the second half. The margin remained close until a pair of free throws from Nari stretched the margin to seven with 10:18 to play.

The Knights lead stretched to ten on a transition layup by Michael with 3:02 remaining. Unfortunately, the Knights went cold from the field as Northeastern cut the deficit to one with just over a minute to play. North Platte answered by going 7-of-8 from the free throw line down the stretch to hold off the Plainsmen.

The Knights had a hot start as a Diao jumper triggered an 18-2 run. Northeastern settled into their rhythm and closed the gap to four with 7:49 remaining. Plainsmen continued to chip away at the deficit down the stretch and eventually took a one-point lead into the halftime break.

Knights (17-10) will hit the road for their final road game of the season on Tuesday against McCook Community College. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. inside the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center in McCook.