Knights fall to Comets in final seconds

Sioux City, Iowa– The North Platte Community College men's basketball team came up just short in the final seconds on Saturday afternoon, falling 70-65 to Western Iowa Tech.

"We were not ready to play today, this has been multiple games now where this has happened," said head coach Jacob Brandl. "Thought we had some good looks, but shooters couldn't get it going today."

Tied at 4-4 in the early minutes, the Comets seized momentum with a 5-0 burst to force a timeout. North Platte responded by outscoring Western Iowa Tech down the stretch, until a 10-0 run by the Comets put them back out front with 6:06 remaining. Knights closed the period scoring 12 of the final 16 points to trim the deficit to six at the break.

Scoring remained tight early in the second half until a layup from Brady Kennison ignited a 13-0 run for the Knights. The game was knotted again at the 6:53 mark, with the final tie coming with just 49 seconds left. From there, Western Iowa Tech sealed the win by going 4-of-4 from the free throw line.

"We'll see what kind of mindset our team brings as we get ready for a good and very hungry Frank Phillips team," Brandl said.

Knights (4-4) return to action at home on Tuesday against Frank Phillips College. Tip is set for 7 p.m. inside the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.