(Lady Knights Aliyah Herron)
Lincoln, Neb. – North Platte women’s basketball fell to the Bobcats of Southeast Community College 69-55 on National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Wednesday.
Aliyah Herron scored 10 points in 24 minutes to lead the Knights. Reece Yahn, Breonna Shelby and Zaily Mazarin each contributed nine points, while Ligia Thortvedt closed out the night with three steals.
“Disappointed in our effort tonight,” head coach Jeff Thurman said. “We were not ready to play this game at all. I give Southeast and Coach Proctor all the credit.”
North Platte struggled to find its rhythm early, scoring just two points in the opening nine minutes. Shelby converted an old-fashioned three-point play in the final 30 seconds, but Southeast took a 12-5 lead into the second quarter.
The Bobcats extended their advantage in the second, outscoring the Knights 12-9 over the first eight minutes to build a double-digit lead. North Platte rallied in the closing minutes to cut the margin under ten, trailing 25-16 at the halftime break.
Southeast opened the third quarter with six straight points, but Thortvedt answered with a layup that ignited a 9-0 surge for the Knights. The Bobcats responded and pushed their lead to as many as 19 points, though North Platte battled back to trim the deficit to 15 heading into the final ten minutes.
The Knights came out strong in the fourth, using an 8-2 run to pull within nine, but the comeback attempt fell short as Southeast maintained the momentum and secured the win.
“We need to regroup and focus on what matters and that’s ourselves,” Thurman said. “We talked about it and you have to show up every single night and play.”
North Platte (6-16, 3-5 Region 9 South) continues Region 9 South action at home on Saturday against Lamar Community College. Tip is set for 1 p.m. inside the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.
