Box Score FULTON - A fierce fourth quarter rally briefly gave Northwest the lead late in Monday's NJCAA Region 23 playoff matchup at Itawamba, but the Lady Indians closed the final minute on a 6-0 run, ending the Lady Rangers' season with a 70-64 loss.

Northwest fought back from what was a 41-26 halftime deficit and a 57-41 hole at the end of the third quarter, starting the fourth quarter on a 14-2 run that closed the gap to 59-55 with 4:30 remaining.

Northwest took a brief 64-63 lead with 1:16 left to go, only for Demetria Shephard to hit a three-pointer and restore the momentum for Itawamba. The Lady Rangers were forced to foul down the stretch and the Lady Indians hit their free throws to pull away for the victory.

Four players finished in double figures for Northwest, including three sophomores. I'Yana Ragin closed out her Lady Ranger career with a team-high 15 points, while Kolten Blakeney scored 14. Tierra Trotter scored 10 points in her final game, while freshman Claire Leak added 10 points off the bench.

Shephard was nearly unstoppable for Itawamba, scoring 26 points, including 15 from three-point range.

With the loss, Northwest concludes its season at 15-11 overall, the second winning season in three years for coach Troy Howell. With three seasons now in the books, Howell's career record stands at 37-32 overall and 19-21 against MACCC competition.