North Platte concludes Holiday Classic with loss to Western Wyoming

Riverton, Wyo. – The North Platte women's basketball team closed out the Holiday Classic presented by Hampton Inn with a 96–57 loss to Western Wyoming on Saturday afternoon.

Kyenna Jackson paced the Knights with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while Breonna Shelby led the team on the boards with eight rebounds to go along with her nine points.

"It was another tough day for us on the defensive end," said head coach Jeff Thurman. "For us to be successful, we have to place a greater emphasis on getting defensive stops."

Western Wyoming shot nearly 50 percent from the field in the first half, including 6-of-18 from three-point range, while holding North Platte to 28 points as they built a 25-point halftime advantage.

The Mustangs opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run before a mid-range jumper from Dezirae Gonzales stopped the momentum. North Platte briefly found an offensive rhythm with a 7-0 run of its own, but Western Wyoming responded with an 11-point surge to close the quarter and extend its lead to 77-42 heading into the fourth.

Western Wyoming continued to pull away early in the final period, stretching the margin to 45 before an old-fashioned three-point play by Abigail Haas ended the run. The Knights were unable to mount a full comeback but managed to trim the deficit by six to close out the contest.

"We have one game left this semester and it's at home, so we need to regroup and refocus," Thurman said. "Gillette is a very good team, and if we're going to win, we have to defend and rebound."

Knights (3-10) will close out the first half of the season on Wednesday against Gillette College. Tip is set for 2 p.m. in the McDonald-Belton Gymnasium.