Knights fall in close battle to No. 7 Highland

North Platte, Neb – North Platte led for almost the entirety of the first half, but No. 7 Highland Community College rallied late in the third quarter for a 64-56 win on Saturday.

Nariah Golden tallied 12 points in the second half to lead the Knights with 14 points and six assists. Jada Thompson recorded 12 points and four rebounds, while Zaily Mazarin chipped in 10 points and five rebounds.

The Scotties opened the scoring in the first quarter, but the Knights answered with a 9-0 run behind seven points from Thompson. Highland halted the run and narrowed the margin to five by the end of the opening ten minutes, 16-11.

A three pointer from Nevaeh Golden stretched the margin to eight in the opening seconds of the second quarter. A 9-3 run by Highland cut the margin down to two with 3:43 to play. It wasn't enough for the Scotties to take the lead, as North Platte held the 28-26 advantage at the break.

Highland matched the Knights in the opening minutes of the third quarter before taking the lead with 1:03 remaining. It was a back-and-forth battle in the fourth until a Highland 6-0 run put the game out of reach.

Knights (8-8) return to road action on Monday to take on Northeastern Junior College. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Bank of Colorado Events Center.