(Knights wing Brandon Domsch, courtesy Skylar Evans)
North Platte, Neb. – The North Platte Community College men’s basketball team came up just short Saturday afternoon, falling 75–69 to Fort Hays Tech Northwest at home.
Justus Michael led the Knights with 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Winston Allen and Joseph Badejo each added 12 points in the effort.
“We just came out flat today and honestly just didn’t play well,” said head coach Jacob Brandl. “We can’t get beat on the glass, free throw line and turn the ball over and expect to win games.”
The Tigers jumped out to an early lead before Allen’s basket in the paint gave North Platte its first lead. Knights and Tigers traded baskets until a three-pointer from Michael put the Knights back on top. North Platte built a 12-point advantage late in the half, but the Tigers closed with back-to-back threes to cut the deficit to six at the break.
The second half saw more back-and-forth action. The Tigers started with a quick 5-0 burst to pull within four, then used an 11-2 run midway through the half to make it a two-point game with eleven minutes remaining. The game was tied at 63 and again at 67 with 1:27 left, but Fort Hays Tech Northwest finished strong, scoring eight of the final ten points to claim the win.
“We need to get back to work and fix some things to get ready for Garden,” Brandl said.
Knights (3-2) return to action on Wednesday against Garden City Community College. Tip is set for 7 p.m. inside McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.
