Knights suffer first road loss to Trojans

Colby, Kan. – North Platte travelled south for their first road game of the season and a rematch against Colby Community College on Wednesday night. The Knights battled throughout the game, but a late run propelled the Trojans to a 92-75 victory.  

"We did a lot of things well tonight," said head coach Kevin O'Connor. "The decisions we make at key moments are keeping us from defeating talented teams, especially on the road."

The Knights and Trojans exchanged body blows in a tightly contested opening three minutes. Colby jumped out to a four-point advantage that was quickly answered by the Knights. German Plotnikov put the Knights on the board and Timur Krupalija followed suit knotting the game up thirty-eight seconds later as he connected on a bucket in the lane, 4-4.

Trojans retook the lead with 15:46 to play and quickly pushed their lead to six, before the Knights used their opening timeout. Out of the short break, the Knights answered as Nico Felici found Plotnikov on the left wing for an open three to pull North Platte back within one, 9-10.

Colby responded with a 7-0 run over the next two minutes to extend their lead to eight with 12:18 to play, 9-17.  North Platte answered with a run of their own and quickly cut the deficit back down to one, as a Knights steal led to a quick basket by Plotnikov, 16-17.

North Platte continued to use the momentum and took their first lead of the game on a free throw line jumper by Plotnikov with 10:17 remaining in the first half, 18-17. The North Platte lead was short as Colby responded on their next possession and used a 10-4 run to extend their lead to five, 22-27.

Knights continued to hang around over the closing minutes of the first half and mounted a 12-5 run to retake the lead on a Plotnikov mid-range jumper inside two minutes, 39-37. Colby hit the equalizer as the clock moved inside a minute and closed the half with a buzzer beating three to take a one-point lead into the break, 41-42.

In the second half, the Knights retook the lead on their opening possession as Danilo Matovic beat his defender and finished the reverse layup, 43-42. Colby answered with a 9-1 run and extended their lead to seven with 17:30 remaining in regulation.

Knights went back to work and quickly cut the deficit back to one on a pullup jumper by Plotnikov, 50-51. North Platte and Colby continued to trade buckets over the next six minutes, before the Knights reclaimed the lead on a Matovic baseline jumper with 9:25 to play, 63-62.

North Platte pushed their lead to four, but the Trojans quickly answered and tied the game up with 7:21 remaining in the second half, 68-68. Colby surged ahead over the next six minutes, utilizing a 24-5 run to put the game out of reach for the Knights.

Plotnikov finished the night with a season-high 32 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the floor and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. Matovic ended the night as the Knights top rebounder finishing with eight boards to accompany his 17 points.

North Platte (2-3) added a game to their schedule for this weekend and will travel to Cloud County Community College for a rematch with the Thunderbirds. The Knights defeated Cloud County to open the 2021-22 campaign, 71-53. Tip is set for 4pm at the Arley Bryant Gymnasium in Concordia, Kan.