Harper sinks five late free throws to help upend McCook

McCook, Neb. – Alex Harper sank five free throws in the last twelve seconds to help North Platte earn the win over McCook on Tuesday night, 80-77.

Harper led the Knights with 23 points and three rebounds, while Mo Diao chipped in 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field.

"That's two games in a row that we have started out really hot and haven't been able to sustain our success as the half has gone on," said head coach Jacob Brandl. "We showed way more attention to detail in the second half to put some runs together at the end."

Trailing 51-40, the Knights used a strong defensive effort to pull back within two on a reverse layup by Justus Michael with 10:00 to play. A baseline jumper from Harper pushed the Knights briefly into the lead inside the final nine minutes.

The North Platte lead stretched to seven, but the Indians quickly chipped away at the deficit. McCook outscored the Knights 12-7 over the next 4:52 to knot the game up at 73-73. The Indians held a two-point advantage twice in the closing stages, but a foul on a three-point attempt put Harper at the line with a chance to put the Knights out front.

Despite the ruckus crowd, Harper connected on all three attempts to give the Knights the one-point advantage. Nate Coley drove into the lane, but his contested attempt rolled off the rim. Harper grabbed the rebound and put the game out of reach with a pair of free throws.

North Platte jumped out to a 17-4 lead, before McCook answered with a 12-0 run to pull within one with 11:20 remaining. The Indians kept the margin with one possession until they took their first lead on a putback by Tavarius Vinson. McCook continued to surge ahead over the final eight minutes to take a 43-34 lead into halftime.

Knights (18-10) will finish the regular season with a pair of Region IX home games beginning with Otero Junior College on Friday. Tip is set for 5 p.m. inside the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.