CLINTON – The Northwest Lady Rangers will open play at the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament on Thursday, March 5 against state runner-up Meridian. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at A.E. Wood Coliseum on the campus of Mississippi College. Watch live >> NJCAATV.COM/NWCCRANGERS.

Northwest is making its 16th trip to the region tournament in head coach Don Edwards' tenure, posting a 14-12 record and claiming region championships in 1990, 1996, 1998 and 2005. The Lady Rangers' last win, however, was back on March 6, 2006 against Holmes. They've lost four straight in Clinton.

Northwest (18-6) and Meridian (17-10) will meet for the first time since March 8, 2005, a 92-75 Lady Ranger win in the opening round of the region tournament. They would go on to win the tournament days later and make their eighth trip to the national tournament in Kansas. 

The Lady Rangers and Lady Eagles have squared off 20 times in a series dating back to the 1950's, with Northwest winning 18 of those. Meridian's only two wins came during the 1976-77 and 1983-84 seasons.

Northwest is averaging 82 points-per-game (8th in the NJCAA) and ranks in the Top 20 in the nation in four other categories, including first in FT/made game (19.9), fourth in FT/att game (30.2), seventh in assists/game (19.8) and 18th in rebounds/game (47.1).

All-American hopeful Aspriona Gilbert is averaging a team-best 17.5 points and 8.4 rebounds-per-game while shooting an NJCAA-leading 70.1 percent from the floor and 72 percent from the free throw line. She has 11 double-doubles on the year and has led the team in scoring in 17 of 24 games.

Sara Lytle (11.2 ppg/5.1 rpg/2.3 apg/1.9 spg) has scored in double figures in 12 games this year while her sister Bethany Lytle (8.7 ppg/4.1 rpg/3.9 apg) has been a major distributer of the basketball with a team-high 93 assists, including 45 in the last eight games. 

Tekevanna Young (8.7 ppg/3.7 rpg/3.0 apg) and Kristina Mays (6.3 ppg/3.4 rpg/2.5 apg) round out the starters.

Jacquelyn Brooks (5.6 ppg/5.6 rpg/1.3 bpg) has been huge as the Lady Rangers' sixth (wo)man. Brooks has a team-high 28 blocks this season and currently ranks seventh in school history with 48 swats for her career. She missed the state tournament last week due to a death in the family and will be back in the rotation this week.   

Meridian also likes to get to the free throw line early and often, but will beat you from beyond the arc if you let them. The Lady Eagles are shooting 42 percent (71-for-171) from downtown, third best in the NJCAA, in addition to 46 percent from the floor. 

The Lady Eagles rely heavily on sophomore center Miaya Crowder, who is averaging a double-double at 17.4 points and 11.5 rebounds-per-game. Titiana Hall (13.8 ppg/6.1 rpg) and Londyn Thomas (10.7 ppg/5.2 rpg) are the other two starters who average double figures. 

The winner of Northwest/Meridian will play the winner of Jones County/Baton Rouge at 8 p.m. Friday, March 6. 

Be sure to follow us on Twitter @NWCC_Rangers to stay updated throughout the tournament.

A full tournament bracket, links to live video and overall tournament stats can be found at www.jucoweekly.org.