GOODMAN – In a battle for the fourth and final playoff spot in the north division with three games left, Thursday's game at Holmes came down to the wire as expected with the Lady Rangers dropping a 65-62 decision.

Holmes improved to 8-11 overall and 4-5 in the north, while Northwest fell to 10-8 and 4-5 in the division.

Northwest trailed for most of the first period but ended the quarter on a 12-1 run over the final 3:18 to take a 19-17 lead. Averyale Joy had eight early points but only finished with 12 on the night.

The lead fluctuated back-and-forth in the second period, with Holmes leading by as many as six, but a 10-1 Lady Ranger run pulled Northwest with 35-33 at half.

Janesha Johnson's 3-pointer with 5:17 remaining in the third quarter gave Northwest its largest lead, 41-37, before Holmes hit three consecutive 3-pointers to take a 50-48 lead after three quarters.

The host Lady Bulldogs then led for the entire fourth quarter, allowing the Lady Rangers within one, 59-58, with 4:16 left but no closer than that.

Joy's contested 3-pointer from the left wing as time expired hit the back iron and fell short for a possible overtime chance.

Aneisha Evans had a game-high 16 points to lead Holmes off the bench, while three Lady Rangers finished in double figures, led by Joy's 12, 11 from Deja Faulkner and 10 from Chrissah Shaw.

Holmes outscored Northwest's bench 30-14 and owned a 22-11 edge in second chance points despite being outshot 39 to 30 percent.

Northwest will return home on Monday, Feb. 13, playing host to Mississippi Delta at 5 p.m.