Greene lifts Knights to come from behind win

Cheyenne, Wyo. – Dazjanae Greene tallied 11 of her 18 points in the second half, as the Knights steal the 56-55 win from Laramie County Community College in the final moments on Friday night.

Greene's 18 points came on 5-of-17 shooting from the floor. Mariah Gardner chipped in 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc, while Samantha Riggles grabbed six rebounds to accompany her nine points in 30 minutes of action.

North Platte took a 49-42 lead into the final quarter, but Laramie County hung around before eventually knotting the game up with 2:22 remaining. The Knights and Golden Eagles continued to trade buckets, before Lylah Spring connected on the back end of two free throw attempts to give the home team the one-point advantage with just nine seconds to play.

A quick timeout advanced the ball to midcourt and would give the Knights a chance to draw up one final play. Greene received the inbound and drove into the heart of the Golden Eagles defense. Her initial path was cut off by Spring, but a spin in the lane and a high shot off the glass earned the Knights the come from behind win.  

North Platte finished the game shooting 30.3 percent (20-66) from the field, while connecting on 8-of-21 of their shots from long range. The Golden Eagles won the rebounding battle 42-30, but the Knights forced 27 Laramie County turnovers.

The Golden Eagles jumped out to an early 11-0 lead, before Riggles broke the silence by getting her contested shot in the lane to fall. North Platte managed to hold Laramie County without a field goal for the final 4:46 of the quarter, as an 8-3 spurt cut the margin to six at the end of the opening ten minutes.

Laramie County stretched their lead to seven before a late run helped the Knights cut the deficit to 29-28 at the halftime break. Greene tallied five points during the stretch, while Gardner put the final touches on the run by connecting on her second three pointer of the game as time expired.

Knights (7-2) return to the hardwood on Saturday to take on Eastern Wyoming College. Tip from the Eastern Wyoming College Gymnasium is set for 3 p.m.