Story by NPCC Athletic Communications
North Platte, Neb. – North Platte Community College men's basketball fell in their home opener to Colby Community College, 78-72, on Tuesday night.
"I thought we played hard tonight," said head coach Jacob Brandl. "The season is young, and we will learn from our mistakes and get better."
Sedrick Nari led the way with 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Mo Diao finished with 16 points and six rebounds.
North Platte trailed early before a baseline jumper from Alex Harper sparked a 6-0 run to give the black and gold a three-point edge. Colby battled back to retake the lead on a 5-0 run while teams traded baskets for the next nine minutes.
A three by Nari pushed the Knights lead to 22-21, but the Trojans rallied to take a four-point lead with 3:11 remaining in the half. North Platte closed the half on an 11-2 run to take a 35-30 lead into the halftime break.
Colby erased the deficit in the opening minutes of the second half. A mid-range jumper by Diao halted the rally as teams exchanged buckets and the lead for the next ten minutes.
A Trojan transition layup ignited a 7-2 run with just under six minutes to play. A pair of free throws from Nari and a three-point play from Harper knotted the game up at 60-60 with 5:16 remaining. Colby continued to hold the momentum down the stretch, as they held off one final rally in the final minute to clinch the victory.
Knights shot 40.3 percent from the field, including 15-of-19 from the free throw line, while Colby finished the night shooting 39.7 percent from the field, including 51.6 percent from field goal range in the second half.
Knights (1-2) return to the road for the two-day Garden City Classic. North Platte will open with Dodge City Community College at 3:30 p.m. on Friday.