Knights fall in Region IX Championship to Southeast

Beatrice, Neb. – Fumnanya Ijeh paced the Knights in her final game in the black and gold, but Southeast Community College utilized a long run in the third quarter to pull away in a 74-52 win in the Region IX Championship on Saturday.

Ijeh connected on 11-of-13 free throw opportunities on her way to 19 points against the Storm. Reece Halley led the Knights on the glass with 10 rebounds to accompany her 10 points for her second double-double of her collegiate career.

The Storm jumped out to a 10-5 lead, before extending their lead to 18-9 on a baseline jumper by Matalynn Campbell. North Platte ended the opening quarter on a short 4-0 spurt to narrow the margin to four as teams headed into the quarter break.

Southeast surged ahead in the opening minutes of the second quarter, by utilizing an 8-2 run to stretch the margin to 12 with 7:10 to play. The Knights trimmed the margin inside ten, but another run helped Southeast carry a 40-26 lead into the locker room.

Jada Grigsby opened the third quarter with four straight points to cut the margin to ten, but a 9-0 run helped extend the deficit to 49-30 with six minutes to play. Southeast continued to roll down the stretch to build a 58-38 lead by the end of the third quarter and never took their foot off the gas to earn the Region IX Championship.

North Platte concludes the 2022-23 season with a 9-21 record.