Knights return to win column with victory over Lamar

North Platte, Neb. – North Platte men's basketball team returns to the win column with an 81-62 win over Lamar Community College on Tuesday night.

Davion Evans tallied 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field, while Simeon Smith added 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

North Platte shot 47.8 percent (32-67) from the field to improve to 8-8 on the season and 1-2 in Region IX South action. In the loss, Lamar falls to 7-12 on the year and 0-2 in Region IX South play.

A 39-31 halftime lead was stretched into double digits in the early minutes of the second half, as North Platte unleashed a 12-4 run. Lamar narrowed the deficit to eight twice over the next 4:28, but each time the Knights responded to push the margin back into double digits.

North Platte continued to shoot lights out in the second half, as their lead was stretched to 74-52 on a two-handed slam by Bryce Baez. Despite facing a double-digit deficit, the Runnin' Lopes settled into an offensive rhythm late in the second half to narrow the margin as time expired.

Knights will hit the road on Saturday for a matchup with the Raiders of Central Community College. Tip is set for 4 p.m. in Columbus.