Dominating defense lifts Knights over Panthers

North Platte, Neb. – Samantha Riggles and Noel Warrior combined for 36 points, as dominating defense helped the Knights prevail 66-34 over York University JV on Thursday night.

Riggles finished the night with 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while fellow freshman Warrior chipped in 17 points, three rebounds and two assists. Mariah Gardner (12) and Reece Halley (10) rounded out the double-digit scorers, as the Knights shot 42.1 percent (24-57) from the field and a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line.

North Platte opened the scoring on their third possession of the game, as Riggles connected on the short-range jumper. The Panthers responded with a three from Kylie Tiran to briefly take the lead, before a 17-2 run capped off by a baseline jumper by Halley put the Knights on top for good. The 14-point margin was trimmed slightly, but the long run helped the Knights carry a 20-7 advantage into the second quarter.

The Panthers attacked the Knights lead in the opening four minutes of the second quarter, as the margin was trimmed to eight on a Tiran three. North Platte retaliated with strong defense as the lead was quickly pushed back to double digits.

York attempted to steal the momentum as the margin dipped to seven, before buckets by Remie Haynes and Gardner extended the lead to 29-17. York made one last effort in the closing seconds and managed to cut the margin under ten by the halftime break.

A low scoring third quarter helped the Knights maintain the momentum, while limiting their opponent to just three points. A couple of three pointers by Warrior and Gardner extended the lead back into double digits, before the margin grew to 19 by the end of the third quarter.

Knights carried the momentum into the final ten minutes, as their lead grew to 51-27 on a transition layup by Riggles. North Platte continued their dominating effort in the final minutes to secure their second home win of the season.

North Platte (4-12) will round out their three game homestand on Saturday against Air Force Prep. Tip is set for 2 p.m. inside the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.