The Central Community College Raiders fell to the North Platte Community College Knights, 74-51, on Saturday at the McDonald-Belton Gym. The game, which was a key Region 9 matchup, proved to be a tough day for the Raiders despite standout performances from several players.

The matchup began with the Knights taking an early lead and maintaining a strong defensive stance throughout the game. Lexi Fiscus was the top scorer for the Raiders scoring 22 points, followed by Rebecca Stoddard who contributed 11 points and tied with Kylah Jo Vogel as the team's top assist leaders. On the defensive end, Delaney Reeg led with 12 rebounds and also shared the top spot in steals with Ajae McKimmey, with each grabbing two steals.

"I thought this game showed that when we take care of the basketball, we can be a very good team," said CCC head coach Kasi Stoltz. "Unfortunately, we had moments where we didn't and that led to some easy transition buckets for them. Our half-court defense was very good and we outrebounded them which was a huge plus. I thought we showed some toughness in the fourth quarter and started to attack the basket a bit more. We just need to be able to handle their ball pressure a little bit better. I like how we competed inside and were able to get to the free throw line, we just turned it over too much."

The 3-22 Raiders will close out the regular season on Saturday with a home contest against Southeast Community College. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at the Raider Fieldhouse.