North Platte falls to Casper College in McCook Classic

McCook, Neb.– The North Platte Community College women's basketball team opened the McCook Classic on Friday, falling to Casper College 66-37.

Dezirae Gonzales led the Knights with nine points, while Jasmine Gilbert pulled down a team-high six rebounds.

"We played hard, and we saw some good things tonight, but we have to limit our turnovers and second chance opportunities," said head coach Jeff Thurman.

Ligia Thortvedt connected from long range to open the scoring, but Casper quickly answered with a 6-0 run. The Thunderbirds controlled the tempo for much of the opening quarter, though both teams went cold offensively late. A layup from Abigail Haas in the final minute trimmed the deficit to two, as North Platte trailed 10-8 after one.

North Platte tied the game in the early moments of the second quarter, but Casper responded with three straight shots from beyond the arc and another in the paint to stretch their lead into double digits. North Platte battled back behind a jumper from Aliyah Herron with 2:31 left in the half, cutting the gap to eight, but Casper closed strong to take a 28-16 advantage into the break.

Casper carried its momentum into the third quarter, opening on a 7–0 run. North Platte battled back to within eleven, but both teams endured a scoring drought that slowed the pace. The Thunderbirds maintained control, leading 44-28 after three quarters.

In the fourth, Casper continued its dominance with a 19–3 run to put the game out of reach. Gonzales drew a foul and completed a three-point play with 1:48 remaining, but the Knights couldn't close the gap.

North Platte (0-3) returns to action on Saturday against Colorado Northwestern Community College for the final day of the McCook Classic. Tip is set for 1 p.m. inside the Peter and Dolores Graff Events Center.