POPLARVILLE - A big first half for Pearl River quickly buried Northwest in a sizable deficit and the Rangers were never able to recover, falling on the road by a 74-55 decision on Tuesday evening.

With the loss, Northwest fell to 10-4 overall and 3-3 in conference play, while Pearl River improved to 11-2 on the season and 6-0 against MACCC competition. 

Pearl River raced out to a 9-0 lead within the first two minutes of the contest and the Wildcats only pulled away from there. Northwest trailed 21-10 midway through the half and a three-point basket at the buzzer sent the Rangers to the locker room in a 19-point deficit, 40-21.

Although Northwest rallied back for 34 second half points, the changes did little to slow down the Wildcats, who remained ahead by double figures the rest of the way.

Isaiah Gaines finished with a double-double to lead the Rangers, notching 14 points and 14 rebounds. Joseph Cooper earned 16 points in the loss, followed by 13 from Ethan Pickett.

Pearl River was led by 14 points apiece from Cameron Brown and Jaronn Wilkens, while getting 12 off the bench from J.D. Allen. Dylan Brumfield also led the Wildcats with 11 rebounds.

Northwest shot just 19 percent in the first half, compared to 49 percent from Pearl River. The Rangers would finish 28 percent from the floor as the Wildcats shot 51 percent to end the contest.

Next up for Northwest will be a home test against Coahoma on Thursday, January 20. The Rangers and Tigers have met once already this season, with Northwest claiming an 84-60 victory in Clarksdale during the November 1 season opener.

Tipoff for Thursday's contest is scheduled for 6 P.M. at Howard Coliseum, with a live broadcast available on Ranger TV or Facebook Live. Read Full Article