Knights fall in final seconds to Laramie County

Cheyenne, Wyo. – The North Platte Community College men's basketball team had a chance in the closing seconds, but the runner rolled off the rim as Laramie County held on for a 76–74 win Friday night.

Brady Kennison led the Knights with a team-high 22 points, while Justus Michael anchored the effort on the glass, pulling down nine rebounds.

"We had a horrendous first half, but I thought our pace was much better in the second half," said head coach Jacob Brandl. "At the end of the day we didn't execute like we needed to." 

A strong defensive start from both teams kept the margin tight through the opening media timeout. The back-and-forth continued as the score moved to 18-17, before the Golden Eagles used a 7-0 run to create some separation with 4:03 left in the half. The Knights outscored Laramie County by one to trim their deficit to seven, trailing 31-24 at the break.

Laramie County maintained the upper hand for much of the second half, fending off several North Platte pushes until the Knights finally broke through with a 10–0 run in the closing minutes. Brandon Domsch closed out the rally by completing an old-fashioned three-point play to give North Platte the 62-61 advantage with five minutes remaining. The lead continued to change hands down the stretch, until Laramie County knocked down the game clinching free throw with seven seconds remaining to escape with the win.

"We need to have some grit and toughness tomorrow," Brandl said.

Knights (5-6) return to action on Saturday against Eastern Wyoming College. Tip is set for 4 p.m. in Torrington, Wyo.