Success wasn't hard to come by for the Northwest women's basketball team last season.

Northwest jumped out to a 6-0 start to the season for a second straight year and entered the NJCAA Top 25 poll for the first time in nearly 15 years.

A 16-6 overall record and a 9-3 mark in the tough MACJC North Division is certainly one to be proud of, even if a hot Copiah-Lincoln prematurely ended the Lady Rangers' postseason stay.

One thing that the Lady Rangers will be missing heading into the 2016-17 season, however, is experience.

Gone are consistent playmakers like WBCA All-American Sara Lytle, Brianna Williams and Kelsey Brown, three of the team's top five scorers and rebounders from last season.

Now entering his 30th season at the helm with a 436-300 career record, Northwest head coach Don Edwards knows that replacing that type of talent won't be easy.

"Both Brianna and Kelsey could fill it up and shoot the three," Edwards said. "They knew how to play and could handle the ball. This bunch we have this year might be more athletic than they were at this point last year, but they're not as skilled."

Two sophomores that could be poised for big seasons are Janesha Johnson and Averyale Joy. Both players started at least 20 games last season and finished at third and fourth on the team in scoring, respectively. Both players averaged well over 10 points per game last season and will be called upon to lead the offense.

"Losing Sara, Kelsey and Brianna accounted for about 80 percent of our scoring and about 70 percent of our rebounding," fifth-year assistant coach Troy Howell said. "(But) I think the extra work that Joy and Johnson are putting in will help them fill those gaps. What they bring to the table is that they're a little more vocal and they've been there and know how tough this league can be."

Other returning faces include forwards BrayLee Landreth and Destiny Gardner. Both received ample playing time and gained great experience last year, playing in at least 19 of the team's 28 contests. Landreth, a Benton, Ark. native, also pulled in 108 total rebounds last season, good for third on the team.

Northwest will welcome a total of 11 newcomers to the roster this season, highlighted by a pair of guards from Horn Lake in Chrissah Shaw and Shernique Adams. The duo helped the Lady Eagles to back-to-back Class 6A state titles in 2014-15 and the second round of the playoffs last season.

"They know what it takes to win," Howell said, on Adams and Shaw. "They play hard and when you have two girls that have been to the high school state tournament all four years and winning a couple of championships, they bring that kind of effort and energy out onto the floor."

Also joining the Lady Rangers this year are guards Samantha Bridges, Shelbi Buford, Kordaja King, Destiny Gaylor and Emily Bush. Forwards Astraea Moore, Brooke Walker and Deja Faulkner round out the newcomers.

With such a vast group of new faces, Edwards is looking for the freshmen to collectively rise to the occasion.

"Someone is going to have to step up from this group," Edwards said. "We have so many freshmen that are so close in doing lots of things that we really haven't had anyone that has stood out. At the same time, we also haven't really had anyone that has gone backwards, either. We'll just have to play our way through it to start the season until someone really begins to stand out."

In terms of the 2016-17 schedule, Northwest will face off against tough non-conference opponents such as Lawson State and Arkansas Baptist in addition to tournaments at ASU-Mid South and over Christmas break at Mineral Area College.

"There are no off nights in this league," Edwards said. "It's challenging every night and we just have to take care of things on the court, home and on the road. We have Mineral Area and Jefferson College in a tournament, both of those are quality opponents. We need to be ready to play every night."

A good showing in non-division play is just what the Lady Rangers need entering the always-challenging north division schedule. While Holmes, Northeast and East Mississippi all provide a different set of obstacles each season, three-time region champion Itawamba is one that always stands out on the schedule.

"The Itawamba game is always a good measuring stick for us," Howell said. "We've played them well the last two years and split with them, home and away. They're also the team to beat and they won the division last year. They're one of the better teams on the schedule and we usually find out where we are when we play them."

Northwest will open the season at home against ASU Mid-South on Monday, Nov. 7 and will play the first of its two non-division tournaments in West Memphis, Ark. against St. Louis and Blue Mountain JV on Nov. 18-19. The Lady Rangers will open division play on Dec. 5 at East Mississippi before resuming the rest of their division schedule in January.

Selected games will offer live video this season at nwccrangers.com/watch, while live stats will be available for all contests. Fans can also follow the team's progress on Twitter @NWCC_Rangers.