(Knights guard Leah Ah-ken)
Concordia, Kan. – The North Platte women’s basketball team fell to Cloud County on Saturday afternoon, 76-54.
Breonna Shelby and Aliyah Herron led the Knights with eight points apiece, while Abigail Haas pulled down a team-high six rebounds.
“We will learn from this and get better this week,” said head coach Jeff Thurman.
A Cloud County 15-0 run helped the Thunderbirds find their rhythm early in the first quarter. A three-point play by Dezirae Gonzales with 2:04 remaining finally broke the Knights scoring drought. North Platte kept pace with the Thunderbirds but faced a 25-10 deficit after the opening ten minutes.
The second quarter began with another back-and-forth stretch, until a bucket in the paint from Shelby sparked a 6-0 run for the Knights. However, Cloud County responded by closing the half on a 13-3 run, extending its lead to 21 at the break.
North Platte opened the third quarter with the first three points, while Cloud County went scoreless until igniting a 6-0 burst with seven minutes remaining. The Knights added a few points before the Thunderbirds stretched their advantage headed into the fourth quarter.
The final quarter featured a more evenly matched battle, but despite their effort, the Knights were only able to trim the deficit by three as Cloud County secured the win.
Knights (1-5) return to action at home on Friday against Central Wyoming. Tip is set for 6 p.m. inside the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.
