Knights dominate Raiders in Region IX Championship

North Platte, Neb. – Sophomore Kayla Pope led four Knights in double-figures, as North Platte cruised to an 82-45 win in the Region IX Championship against Central Community College on Saturday afternoon.

Pope finished the game with 19 points, four steals, and two rebounds, while Diamond Moore-Heath put the finishing touches on her thirteenth double-double of the year totaling 18 points and 12 rebounds in twenty-five minutes of action. Fumnanya Ijeh and Jordyn Moon rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points and 11 points, respectively.

"Our student-athletes deserve this championship," said head coach Jeff Thurman. "I am proud of our fight and pride on the defensive end."

Pope had control of the Knights offense, as North Platte finished the game shooting 46.1 percent from the field, including 8-of-10 (.800) from the free throw line. Knights dominated on the glass against the Raiders, 52-39, and tallied eleven steals in one of their best defensive efforts of the season.

Central opened the scoring with a layup by Brittney Veik, but the Knights countered with a 14-2 run to control the next seven minutes. A layup by Janay Brauer and successful free throw opportunity helped push the margin to thirteen inside the final three minutes. The deficit stayed at thirteen until the Raiders trimmed the margin to twelve by the end of the first quarter.

Knights never let up on defense, as their lead exploded to twenty-five after a 13-0 run to open the second quarter. Moon led the way during the four-minute stretch with four points, 32-7. The Raiders attempted to halt the momentum over the closing minutes, but a steal and a long lead pass to Moore-Heath in transition pushed the lead to thirty as teams headed into the halftime break, 43-13.

North Platte held Central to just 17.9 percent shooting in the opening half, while connecting on 19-of-35 (.543) of their shots from the field.  

Knights and Raiders alternated buckets in the opening seven minutes of the third quarter, as the margin stayed above twenty-six during that stretch. A short 5-0 run extended the Knights lead to thirty-four, as Pope connected from beyond the arc, 58-24. The margin was trimmed slightly, as the Knights closed the quarter with the 62-30 advantage.  

The Raiders opened the fourth quarter with a mini run to cut the deficit to twenty-six with 8:14 to play. Knights held tight to their lead down the stretch, as they managed to extend their lead back to thirty-four after a three by Ijeh. Central was held to one more field goal over the final three minutes, as the Knights put the finishing touches on their back-to-back Region IX titles.

"We just did our job today," said Moore-Heath. "We trusted the process and it all came together with our second region title."

North Platte awaits their opponent for the Northwest Plains District Championship, as Dakota College at Bottineau (N.D.) and Bay College (Mich.) are set to play in their region final on Sunday. The winner of the Region XIII matchup will host the district championship on Saturday, March 5.