KCI basketball roundup: North Platte wins district opener

North Platte earned a rematch with East Buchanan, this time with a lot on the line.

The Panthers bested Bishop LeBlond, 42-40, in the opening round of the Class 2 District 16 Tournament on Monday, Feb. 24 in Gower.

That sent the fourth-seeded Panthers into a district semifinal against East Buchanan, the top seed and ranked No. 2 in the state.

The two teams met on Feb. 11 and East Buchanan pulled away for a 41-35 victory.

To get the rematch, North Platte (14-12) played a strong second half to rally past the Golden Eagles.

The St. Joseph parochial school led 31-24 at halftime, but North Platte took the lead and held LeBlond to only three points in the third quarter and nine in the second half.

McKenzie Brockhoff scored 24 points, while Josie Roach added 10 for North Platte in the win. 

The semifinal game vs. East Buchanan is at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26.

East Buchanan reached the semifinals with a 49-15 victory over West Platte on Monday. Stats from that game were not provided by deadline.

Other games

Wellington-Napoleon girls 76, North Platte 58

The Tigers scored 50 points in the first half and rolled to a non-conference victory on Thursday, Feb. 20.

North Platte trailed by seven after the first quarter was held to eight points in the second and faced a 50-26 deficit at the break.

Bree Shannon and Ayden Shannon had 14 points in the first half for Well-Nap (24-0).

Ayden Shannon finished with 30 and Bree Shannon scored 18.

Josie Roach paced North Platte with 20, while McKenzie Brockhoff scored 14.

Wellington-Napoleon boys 64, North Platte 55

The Panthers led at halftime but struggled to score points in the third quarter and the Tigers surged ahead for a win on Thursday, Feb. 20 in the regular-season finale.

North Platte finished the regular season 4-18 overall and dropped its final six.

The Panthers scored 30 points in the first half and led by seven points, but the Tigers scored 22 points in the third quarter and led by seven going into the fourth.

Cameron Leupold had 16 points, while Andrew Hernandez added 14 for the Panthers.

Grady Hughes had 20 for Well-Nap to lead all scorers.

Mid-Buchanan girls 58, North Platte 47

The Dragons picked up a KCI Conference victory on Tuesday, Feb. 18 in Dearborn.

Mid-Buchanan scored at least 15 points in each of the first three quarters. North Platte was held to eight points in the first half and trailed 31-23 at halftime.

Josie Roach scored 17 points for North Platte, the only player in double figures. Kelsey Stout poured in 24 points for the Dragons.