(Knights guard Brady Kennison, courtesy NPCC Athletics)
North Platte, Neb. – The North Platte Community College men’s basketball team got back on track Wednesday night, earning a 91–77 win over Garden City Community College in a rematch of a game played a week ago.
Sophomore transfer Brady Kennison led the way for the Knights, scoring a game-high 31 points on 10-of-18 shooting. Justus Michael added a double-double finishing with 23 points and 14 rebounds.
“Thought this game was a complete 180 compared to the last one,” said head coach Jacob Brandl. “Our guys really bought into a game plan and executed it, even though it wasn’t always perfect or clean they stayed the course and had some big plays when we needed them.”
North Platte came out firing, using a 23–7 run fueled by Kennison’s hot shooting from beyond the arc to seize control early. The Knights built their largest lead of the game with 9:44 remaining in the first half after Michael connected on a three pointer in transition. Garden City responded with a 10-2 run to close the gap, but North Platte maintained control and entered halftime with a 50-36 advantage.
The second half featured several momentum swings. After the Knights extended their advantage, Garden City mounted a 13-0 run to pull within six. North Platte quickly responded with an 11-3 surge of its own to regain command and close out the victory.
“Now we have to reset and get ready for a really good Cloud County team,” Brandl said.
Knights (4-2) return to action on Saturday against Cloud County Community College. Tip is set for 4 p.m. inside Arley Bryant Gymnasium in Concordia, Kan.
