Story by Daniel Stinman Area Director of Marketing and Public Information. Photo by Mid-Plains Community College Marketing and Public Information
North Platte, Neb. – The North Platte Community College women’s basketball team had their four-game winning streak snapped against McCook Community College on Tuesday night. The Indians used a strong third quarter to overpower the Knights, 63-42.
In the opening quarter, the Knights jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opening 3:44, after Diamond Moore-Heath connected on the front end of a pair of free throws. The Indians came charging back to take their first lead of the game on a three pointer with 4:10 to play in the quarter.
The Knights rebounded and regained the lead with 2:19 to play, as Kayla Pope earned her way to the free throw line and made both her free throw attempts. Trailing 9-7, the Indians knotted the game up and regained the lead by connecting on one of two free throw opportunities in the closing seconds to lead after one quarter, 10-9.
In the second quarter, the Knights briefly retook the lead on a Moore-Heath layup before the Indians recaptured the lead just 22 seconds later, on a deep three. The Knights held the Indians scoreless for the next seven minutes and went on an 8-0 run to push the deficit to six, 19-13. McCook rallied over the final two minutes of the quarter and cut the deficit to one at the break, 19-18.
The Indians responded in the third quarter outscoring the Knights 21-8. The Indians retook the lead just forty-two seconds into the third quarter, before Moore-Heath put the Knights back on top with a floater in the paint, 21-20.
The Indians retook the lead on their next possession and went on a 12-5 run over the next six minutes to stretch their lead to six with 2:32 to play. The Indians stifled the Knights offense over the remaining minutes of the quarter and pushed their lead to twelve by the end of the third quarter, 39-27.
In the fourth quarter, the Indians pushed their lead to nineteen by the media timeout. Pope halted the Indians fourth quarter momentum by stealing the ball and getting a contested layup to fall, cutting the deficit to seventeen with 4:22 to play.
A quick 6-0 run by the Indians extended their lead out to twenty-three with 2:45 to play. Jordyn Moon answered the run by receiving the inbound and getting her shot to fall in the paint to cut the deficit to twenty-one, 58-37. The Knights were held to one more field goal in the closing minutes and fell to the Indians, 63-42.
Moore-Heath led the Knights with 13 points to go along with her seven rebounds.
North Platte (7-10, 6-6 Region IX) will host Otero Junior College for their regular season finale on Friday, March 26. The Knights and Rattlers are scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. tip inside the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium. Knights will also honor their sophomore student athletes prior to the start of the game against the Rattlers.