WNCC battles No. North Platte to the end, but falls short

                 The No. 5 North Platte Community College men’s basketball team used a 14-8 run in the last five minutes to escape Cougar Palace with a hard-fought 75-68 win over Western Nebraska Community College Friday night at Cougar Palace.

                The win keeps the Knights unbeaten on the season at 13-0 as they head to Eastern Wyoming College on Saturday. For the Cougars, it snapped a four-game winning streak and they will look to rebound Saturday afternoon when they host McCook Community College at 4 p.m.

                “It was a hard-fought win against a really good Western Nebraska team,” North Platte coach Kevin O’Connor said. “It was a back and fourth game almost all night long and the final score is not indicative of how close a ball game it was. I thought both teams competed really hard and made plays. It was a fun game to be involved in for coaches and players, and it was a great crowd and great atmosphere.”

                WNCC coach echoed the same sentiment as O’Connor. It was a match-up of two talented teams where it came down to the final minutes to decide a winner.

                “It was a well-played game by both teams. It was neck to neck without either team getting much separation,” Beck said. “They had some key guys come off the bench for them and really make an impact, and they had a little bit more depth than us tonight. I reminded our guys that we are probably the youngest teams in the region right know in terms of sophomores. North Platte returned a lot of sophomores and they made some plays down the stretch. It was a classic battle and I loved the crowd tonight.”

                The first half was a battle from the get-go. WNCC jumped to a 6-2 lead before North Platte stormed back to grab a 13-8 lead on back-to-back buckets by Marco Pascolo. North Platte stayed in the lead, leading 22-17 on a 3-pounter by Pascolo.

                WNCC came storming back to grab a 28-26 lead on three points by Youssoupha Kane and a bucket by Tyler Crosbie. Both teams would hit the locker room tied at 31-31.

                The second half was still a battle as both teams battled back from deficits. North Platte started the half on a 12-6 run to lead 43-37 on a 3-pointer by Tim Simmons. The Cougars battled back as Joel Einfeldt had five straight points and then Einfeldt had a clutch steal and bucket to bring the Cougars to within one 47-46. WNCC took the lead moments later on a Kane free throw, 49-48.

                Both teams battled to a 51-51 tie and then North Platte took a 56-51 lead on a Ethan Montalvo 3-pointer. WNCC clawed its way back to 61-60 on six Brandon Morley points with five minutes to play. That was when the Knights put things into another gear, outscoring the Cougars 14-8 the rest of the way. The closest WNCC got in that stretch was 66-64 on a Crosbie bucket and then 68-66 on a Diante Mitchell steal and lay-in.

                North Platte’s Luke Pittle came through with a clutch bucket and then the Knights hit some clutch free throws for the win.

                North Platte had three players finish with double figures. Montalvo led all scorers with 21 points, including going 8 of 10 from the free throw line. Areon Porter finished with a double double of 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Pascolo had 11 points.

                WNCC put four players in double figures. Kane led with a double double of 14 points and 13 rebounds. Crosbie and Morley each had 13 points, while Mitchell had 12.  

                The big key was rebounding and free throws. North Platte out-rebounded WNCC 43-37 and also converted 18 of 24 free throws to WNCC’s 11 of 20. Three-point shooting was also a big difference. North Platte connected on seven treys for 30 percent, while WNCC only managed 3 of 14 3-pointers for 21 percent.

                O’Connor said they survived and now they have to travel to Torrington for another tough game on Saturday.

                “We were not prepared for the zone and I didn’t think anyone could zone us the way we shoot the ball, but we were a little off tonight and that got the game even,” he said. “It was a hard fought game and either team could have won tonight. We made some free throws down the stretch. Now we have a tough game tomorrow in Torrington coming off of this one.”

                Beck said his team just has to rebound, but he loved the fight his team put on the court against the No. 5 team in the nation.

                “I like our fight but I hate to lose,” he said. “There were a couple little things here and there that could have been the difference for us. We just couldn’t find a rhythm and they sure do a good job of limiting your touches on the wing.”

North Platte (13-0)          31 44 – 75

WNCC (10-7)                      31 37 – 68

NORTH PLATTE
Cameron Williams 6, Luke Pittle 8, Kenyon Gist 2, Ethan Montalvo 21, Areon Porter 10, Tre’Vaun Hymer 2, Jake Maslo 7, Tim Simmons 6, Akau Deng 2, Marco Pascolo 11.

WNCC

Tyler Crosbie 12, Youssoupha Kane 14, Diante Mitchell 12, Joel Einfeldt 9, Derrick Bowers 7, Brandon Morley 13.