WNCC and North Platte battled tooth and nail in the second half after the Knights held a 38-30 halftime lead. The Cougars had a chance to force overtime tied at 67-67, but a NBA 3-point attempt by Scott Bamforth rained in the basket and then bounced out to preserve the win for the Knights.
It was the first road for the Cougars since Dec. 6 when they lost to Northwest Wyoming at the Eastern Wyoming tournament. Even with the loss to North Platte, WNCC wins the sub-region with a 5-1 record, while North Platte gets the No. 2 seed in next month’s regional tournament with a 3-3 sub-regional mark.
The Cougars played the contest without Larry Brown, who turned an ankle. Still, WNCC battled North Platte, out-rebounding the hosts 34-27. Tarell Clark pulled down eight rebounds, followed by Francisco Cruz with six and Danny Smith with five.
WNCC knocked home seven 3-pointers, in shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc. Scott Bamforth finished with three treys, while Cruz had two.
Cruz led the team with 19 points followed by Bamforth and Sedrick McBounds with 13 and Smith with 10.
North Platte was paced by Ragland with 22 points, followed by Brenten Brown with 12 points.
The Cougars will look to get back on the winning track Saturday when they host Northeastern Junior College in the final regular season game. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. in the contest that will honor the three departing sophomores.
WNCC (23-6) 30 37 – 67
North Platte (21-7) 38 32 – 70
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Lloyd Hickinson 3, Tarell Clark 6, Saul Torres 1, Danny Smith 10, Scott Bamforth 13, Francisco Cruz 19, Sedrick McBounds 13, John Bright 2.
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