INDIANOLA, Iowa. - The Knox Prairie Fire opened the season Saturday night at Cowles Fieldhouse, falling 78-48 to Simpson despite strong individual efforts from
Noah Campbell,
Cameron Betker, and reserve forward
Jakob Morgenstern.
Knox came out aggressively and grabbed an early 6-3 lead behind back-to-back three-pointers from Betker. The Prairie Fire extended the advantage to 11-5 midway through the opening half after a basket from Campbell and a three from
Zach Hendrickx.
Morgenstern provided a spark off the bench during that stretch, contributing a steal, rebounds on both ends of the floor, and a second-chance basket that helped Knox stay within striking distance.
Simpson answered with a prolonged run late in the first half, turning a six-point deficit into a 39-18 halftime advantage. The hosts shot 46.3 percent from the floor and held Knox to 29.5 percent shooting for the game.
The Prairie Fire continued to battle in the second half behind Campbell, who paced the offense with a team-high 12 points. The junior scored six points during a mid-half stretch and converted consecutive baskets that trimmed the deficit to 60-40.
Betker added 10 points, five rebounds, and a game-high five steals. After providing Knox's first six points on a pair of three-pointers, he continued to impact the game defensively, recording multiple steals that led directly to Prairie Fire scoring opportunities in the second half.
As a team, Knox pulled down 37 rebounds and came away with 11 steals, with Betker, Morgenstern, and
Aydan Ayer leading a defensive effort that forced 16 Simpson turnovers.
The Prairie Fire will look to bounce back Wednesday when they travel to face Eureka.
