Knights open season with win over Golden Eagles

North Platte, Neb. – The North Platte Community College men's basketball team opened their season in dominant fashion on Friday, rolling past Laramie County 94-77.

Justus Michael led the Knights with 21 points, while Brady Kennison added 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Winston Allen chipped in 12 points to round out North Platte's double-digit scorers.

"Thought the guys did a really good job of handling runs, Laramie County is a really good basketball team and can score," said head coach Jacob Brandl. "Thought our sophomores really stepped up when we needed them, defensively I was really happy with the effort."

The Knights came out hot, jumping out to a 10-4 lead sparked by a Dennis Rocha three-pointer. Laramie County battled back to trim the deficit to eight late in the half, but North Platte maintained control, taking a 47-35 lead into halftime after a late bucket from Daniel Nwauzu.

Laramie County surged out of the break with a 13-2 run to pull within one, but North Platte refused to relinquish the lead. Knights broke the game open with an 11-0 run, ignited by a dunk from Allen. That stretch gave North Platte all the cushion they needed to secure their first victory of the regular season.

The Knights were efficient offensively, shooting 55.4 percent (36-of-65) from the field and an impressive 46.6 percent (13-of-28) from beyond the arc.

Knights (1-0) return to action on Saturday against Eastern Wyoming College. Tip is set for 3 p.m. inside the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.