SENATOBIA - Northwest picked just the right time to snap its latest losing skid, as the Lady Rangers rolled to a 72-61 victory against Northeast in Monday evening's first round battle of the NJCAA Region 23 Playoffs.

Northwest trailed by five in the early stages of the contest, but the Lady Rangers quickly turned an 11-8 deficit into a 12-2 run and gained a 20-13 advantage on the Lady Tigers as the first quarter came to a close.

Northwest never trailed again the rest of the way, as the Lady Rangers carried the momentum over into the second quarter, eventually taking a 10-point lead on a three-pointer from Tierra Trotter with 2:37 remaining in the first half.

Trotter led the way for the Lady Rangers with 13 points in the contest, with most of them coming in the first half. Northwest had no trouble with the Lady Tigers in the second half and held on to a double-digit advantage until the final buzzer.

Northwest swelled its lead to as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter, doing so on a three-point basket from Samaria Jones. Northeast eventually worked the deficit down to 11 to end the game, but the Lady Rangers were never in danger of losing the lead.

In addition to Trotter's 13 points, sophomore Morgan Hodum also came up with 13 of her own to go along with six rebounds. Kolten Blakeney finished with her fifth double-double of the season, totaling 12 points and 10 boards.

Adamsville, Ala. native Nylah Ballard also posted a solid defensive outing off the bench, swatting away four blocks for a new career-high. 

Northwest shot 42 percent from the floor and pulled down 43 rebounds, improving to 5-10 on the season. 

For Northeast, Brittney Oswalt totaled 12 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double, while Cathy Burse led the Lady Tigers with 13 points. Northeast shot 35 percent on the evening, but went 1-of-13 from beyond the arc to finish with eight percent shooting from three-point range.

With the win, Northwest will advance to the second round of the NJCAA Region 23 Playoffs at Itawamba on Wednesday, March 31. The Lady Indians are seeded third overall and have beaten the Lady Rangers in all three meetings during the regular season, including a one-point nail-biter in Senatobia just last week.

Tipoff from Fulton is scheduled for 6 P.M. on letsgoicctv.com/red. Live stats for Wednesday's matchup will also be provided on nwccrangers.com.