Knights escape Raiders in Region IX matchup

North Platte, Neb. – Three North Platte players finished in double digits, led by 14 points from Dazjanae Greene as North Platte escaped with the 69-62 win over Central Community College on Saturday afternoon.

The win helps North Platte improve to 14-9 on the year and 3-0 in Region IX play. The Knights also secured the top seed in the Region IX postseason tournament and an automatic championship berth.

The Raiders jumped out to an early lead, but the Knights launched a 7-0 run to knot the game up on a layup by Jada Grigsby. Central responded over the final 3:34 of the quarter to take a slim 12-11 lead into the quarter break.

Mariah Gardner connected from deep to open the second quarter, but Central answered once again to regain control of the momentum. A late run over the final 4:12 helped North Platte take back the advantage, as they rolled into halftime with a 33-26 lead.

North Platte cruised in the third quarter as the lead was stretched to 47-29 on a jumper by Samantha Riggles. The Raiders responded with a 7-0 run, but a quick 10-3 burst to end the quarter helped the Knights carry a 57-39 lead into the final ten minutes.

Central nearly completed the comeback as they held North Platte to just twelve points in the final frame. The Raiders used a 10-2 run to open the fourth quarter, before trimming the deficit to 65-60 with 1:29 to play. North Platte held the Raiders off in the final minute, as a 4-2 spurt proved just enough to collect the win.

Knights return to conference action on Tuesday, Feb. 13 against McCook Community College. Tip is set for 5 p.m. inside the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.