Knights fall in Region IX matchup to Raiders

North Platte, Neb. – North Platte rebounded from a slow shooting performance in the first half but could not hold off the Raiders of Central Community College in a 60-50 loss inside the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium on Friday night.

Jada Grigsby led the Knights with 14 points and eight rebounds, while teammate Reece Halley finished the game with 11 points to accompany her three rebounds in 25 minutes of action.

A tightly contested opening first quarter featured three lead changes as teams battled on the hardwood. Central broke open the scoring on a three by Nikie Nelson, but a short rally gave North Platte their first lead of the game with 5:25 to play on a layup by Chrishelle Washington. The game remained tight over the next four minutes until a short burst propelled the Raiders to a 15-13 lead at the end of the opening quarter.

The defenses picked up in the second quarter as teams combined for only 10 points. Central broke the ice and stretched their lead to seven with 4:05 to play, but a late rally allowed the Knights to cut the margin to four before the halftime break.

North Platte erased the deficit to knot the game up at 23-23 in the early moments of the third quarter on a deep corner three by Mariah Gardner. The momentum began to sway in favor of the Knights, as back-to-back steals on inbound passes pushed the Knights advantage to five. The Raiders would not go down without a fight and capitalized on key offensive possessions in the final two minutes to narrow the margin to one by the end of the quarter.

Central hung around in the opening minutes despite the margin increasing to three on a Remie Haynes short range jumper. Strong defense minimized the high percentage possessions for North Platte, as Central capitalized to rebuild a five-point advantage with 6:24 to play.

Noel Warrior temporarily halted the momentum swing after finding a crease along the baseline and finishing at the rim, as the Knights rebounded with a short spurt before the media timeout. Central used the break to reset and quickly retook the lead and managed to hold off the Knights to earn their first Region IX victory of the season.

Knights (6-15, 0-2 Region IX) will return the hardwood on Tuesday, Feb. 7 against Lamar Community College. Tip is set for 5 p.m. in Lamar Colo.