Knights fall to Rustlers to open Holiday Classic presented by Hampton Inn

Riverton, Wyo. – North Platte struggled to recover from a fast start by Central Wyoming, falling 79-55 to the Rustlers on Friday night in their opening game of the Holiday Classic presented by Hampton Inn in Riverton.

Reece Yahn led the Knights with 14 points and six rebounds, while sophomore Dezirae Gonzales added 12 points in the loss.

"We didn't come ready to play, and it showed," said head coach Jeff Thurman. "Defensively, we were poor and allowed Central Wyoming far too many open looks."

The Rustlers set the tone early, scoring the first 14 points of the game before Abigail Haas stopped the run with a basket in the lane with 5:07 remaining in the first quarter. Teams traded baskets for the rest of the period, but Central Wyoming maintained a 14-point advantage after the opening ten minutes.

The second quarter opened with back-and-forth action until the Rustlers regained momentum with a short 6-0 run. A deep three from Yahn briefly slowed the surge, but Central Wyoming continued to control the tempo and carried an 18-point lead into halftime.

Central Wyoming widened the gap early in the third quarter, opening on a 10-2 run to push the lead to 26. Breonna Shelby helped the Knights find some rhythm as they cut into the deficit, trailing 61–38 heading into the fourth quarter.

North Platte opened the final quarter with a 5-0 run, but the Rustlers offense proved too much and pulled away to secure the 24-point victory.

"We need to put this game behind us and focus on tomorrow against a very good Western Wyoming team." Thurman said.

Knights (3-9) return to action on Saturday against Western Wyoming in the Central Wyoming College Holliday Classic presented by Hampton Inn. Tip is set for 1 p.m. in Riverton, Wyo.