Knights open home tournament with loss to Rattlers

North Platte, Neb. – Knights looked to avenge their thirty-one-point loss earlier in the season, but a late rally lifted the Rattlers to an 89-81 win on the opening day of the Hampton Inn Classic.

Jada Grigsby accounted for 15 points and 11 rebounds, while teammates Mariah Gardner and Fumnanya Ijeh closed out the game with 12 points each. Noel Warrior rounded out the Knights players in double figures, finishing the night with 11 points in 22 minutes of game action.

Rattlers opened the third quarter with back-to-back buckets to extend their lead to six, but the Knights answered right back with a 7-0 run to retake the lead on a baseline jumper by Reece Halley. North Platte and Otero continued to match baskets down the stretch of the quarter, but the Knights held the 60-59 advantage after three quarters of play.

Knights extended their lead to 72-65 in the opening five minutes of the of the fourth quarter. Despite tough perimeter defense Lucila Sampietro began to heat up from the perimeter, as the Rattlers retook the lead with 3:54 remaining. North Platte gave a valiant effort over the closing minutes, but Otero capitalized on some late free throws to seal the come from behind win.  

North Platte finished the night shooting 43.8 percent (29-74) from the field, but only 65.2 percent (15-23) from the free throw line. Otero closed out the game shooting 42.3 percent from the field, while connecting on 80 percent (20-25) of their free throw opportunities.

North Platte jumped out to an 18-3 lead after Gardner connected on her third three pointer of the first quarter. The Rattlers defense tightened up, as they limited North Platte to just one more point in the quarter. The momentum shift continued as the Rattlers utilized a 9-1 run to pull back within seven by the end of the opening quarter.

Otero rode the momentum in the early stages of the second quarter, cutting the margin to 19-16 inside the opening minute. Ijeh and Warrior silenced the momentum with back-to-back three pointers, as the Knights went on a short 6-2 run to stretch the lead back to seven.

Otero countered with a 9-2 run to knot the game up at 27 with 5:12 remaining. Knights and Rattlers traded baskets for the remainder of the quarter, but Otero managed to hold on to the 40-38 advantage at the break.

Knights (2-11) close out the Hampton Inn Classic on Saturday against Trinidad State College. Tip is set for 3 p.m. inside the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.