Story and Photo by Mid Plains Community College Marketing and Public Information
Trinidad, Colo. – North Platte Community College women's basketball fell victim to a late run by Trinidad State Junior College on Friday evening, falling by a final score of 70-60 in the Region IX matchup.
“It is always hard to win on the road,” said head coach Jeff Thurman. “We will learn from this experience and continue to get better.”
In the opening quarter the Knights fell behind early as the Trojans jumped out to a 4-0 advantage. The Knights cut the deficit to one on their next possession as Janay Brauer connected on a deep three from the right wing, 4-3. Trojans responded going on an 8-2 run to stretch their lead to seven with 5:36 to play, 12-5.
Kayla Pope added four points for the Knights over the next sixty seconds, but the Knights trailed the Trojans after one quarter of play, 20-11.
In the second quarter, the Trojans extended their lead to eleven with 4:59 remaining, 31-20. The Knights responded over the final four minutes going on a 11-4 run and trimming the deficit to four on a three pointer by Jada Ballard in the closing seconds, 35-31.
In the early stages of the third quarter, the Knights used their momentum to tie the game up just fifty seconds into the quarter. Strong defensive pressure by the Knights forced a Trojans turnover and Ballard laid it off the glass in transition to knot it up at 35-35.
The Trojans responded going on a 13-3 run over the next five minutes to reclaim the lead, 48-38. The Knights attempted to cut back into the ten-point deficit as they came within six points after Pope got her layup to fall with 2:44 to play in the third quarter. Trojans answered as they added two more buckets and extended their lead back to ten to close out the third quarter, 52-42.
Diamond Moore-Heath cut the deficit to nine by the 5:29 mark of the fourth quarter, but the Trojans limited the Knights to just ten points in the remaining minutes to earn the 70-60 victory.
Knights finished the night with four starters in double digits including Brauer (15), Moore-Heath (12), Pope (13), and Ballard (13). Moore-Heath led the Knights on the glass with ten rebounds for her fourth double-double of the year.
Knights (3-7) will be back on the road tomorrow Saturday, February 27 for a Region IX matchup against the Otero Junior College (3-2). Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. in La Junta, Colo.