SENATOBIA - Although sophomores
Kolten Blakeney and
Tierra Trotter finished in double figures in the duo's home finale, Northwest was unable to fight off a solid second half effort from Copiah-Lincoln on Thursday evening, falling 63-61 at Howard Coliseum.
With the loss, Northwest dropped to 14-9 on the season and 8-6 in the MACCC. Copiah-Lincoln improved to 16-7 on the season and 9-5 against conference competition.
Copiah-Lincoln started the game with a three-point lead, but the score swung in the Lady Rangers' direction thanks to a jumper and a pair of successful free throws from Blakeney. Northwest would run its lead to 9-3 after another Blakeney jumper and a three-pointer from
Maura Nunley midway through the first quarter, and later led by as many as seven with 2:14 left in the period.
Trailing 16-9, the Lady Wolves closed out the quarter on a 7-0 run, sparked by a three-pointer from Madelynn Webster and tied the contest at 16-16 entering the second period.
Neither team shot well in the second quarter, as both teams combined for only 12 points in the period. Tied at 20 apiece with 2:04 left before halftime, the Lady Rangers used a pair of layups from Blakeney and Nunley to close out the half with a 24-20 advantage.
Northwest continued to lead by as many as four in the early stages in the second half, but a quick 6-0 spurt helped Copiah-Lincoln reclaim a 32-28 lead. Both teams would trade baskets over the final 3:45 of the quarter, resulting in eight lead changes and three ties, but the Lady Wolves went on an 8-0 run to close out the quarter with a 48-41 lead.
Northwest trailed by as many as 12 points early in the fourth quarter, only to rally back to cut the deficit to three with 12 seconds left to go, thanks to a three-pointer from
Claire Leak. However, the Lady Wolves hit a pair of free throws to go back ahead by five and the Lady Rangers would miss one of their next two free throws down the stretch to seal the win for Copiah-Lincoln.
Northwest shot 30 percent from the floor in the loss, while the Lady Wolves finished shooting 35 percent. The Lady Rangers were also bested in total rebounds, with Copiah-Lincoln earning 54 rebounds against 45 from Northwest.
Copiah-Lincoln also controlled the paint, outscoring the Lady Rangers 36-16 in that category.
Blakeney totaled a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double in her regular season home finale, while Trotter earned 11 points and nine rebounds. Nunley also totaled eight points for the evening, while Leak finished with eight points off the bench.
Aniya Sanders led the Lady Wolves with 23 points and 17 rebounds, while Jakiylah Esco posted 10 points and eight boards to finish shy of a double-double. Zykeria Anderson also totaled 13 points for Copiah-Lincoln.
Next up for Northwest will be the MACCC Tournament in Poplarville. The Lady Rangers will play on Monday, February 21 against an opponent yet to be determined. With a handful of conference games to still be played on Friday, full seedings and bracket information will be revealed over the weekend.
Stay tuned to nwccrangers.com for opponent information and coverage details.
