Knights take down Otero on sophomore night

North Platte, Neb. – Davion Evans led the Knights on sophomore night with 17 points, as North Platte opens the weekend with a 76-64 win over Otero Junior College on Friday night.

Evans scored 15 points in the second half while going 8-of-15 from the free throw line. Landon Broer finished the night with 14 points, while Emmanuel Oladeru and Michael Cooper closed out the double-digit scorers with 13 and 11 points respectively.

The Rattlers jumped out to an early lead before a three from Broer ignited an 8-0 run. The margin stayed tight until Broer connected on his second three pointer to give North Platte a 32-24 lead. Knights outscored the Rattlers down the stretch to push their lead to 39-28 at the halftime break.

North Platte extended their lead to 59-38 with 11:10 to play, but a long rally pulled the Rattlers within seven inside the final three minutes. A Bryce Baez putback halted the run while igniting a 6-2 spurt to push the margin back into double digits.

Otero once again cut the deficit to nine, but North Platte closed the game out by going 4-of-6 at the free line in the final minute to earn the home win.

North Platte (13-14) will return to the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium to conclude the regular season on Saturday. Tip against the Trojans of Trinidad State College is set for 2 p.m.