SENATOBIA - A meager night from the free throw line and a series of turnovers haunted Northwest in Thursday's 63-50 home loss against Coahoma.
Northwest finished just 45 percent from the charity stripe, marking a new season-low. The Lady Rangers hit just nine of their 20 free throw attempts, while shooting only 34 percent from the floor. In addition, the Lady Rangers turned the ball over 18 times and were outscored 21-7 in points off turnovers.
Those three factors were coupled with four Lady Tigers scoring in double figures, led by Elishia Wilson's 16-point, 21-rebound performance. Janiya Jones also scored 16 points, while Tiara Abron and Jamea Smith recorded 11 and 10, respectively.
Northwest jumped out in front early with a few solid baskets, most notably a pair of three-pointers from
Marian Jenkins and
Kae'la Mitchell. However, the Lady Rangers' largest lead of four was erased down the stretch of the first quarter, thanks to a 7-2 Coahoma run over the final two minutes.
Trailing 18-17 entering the second period, Northwest remained within striking distance for the first five minutes of the quarter, only for the Lady Tigers to eventually take a 10-point advantage with 1:58 remaining in the half.
Zaria Glover cut the score back down to eight, but Mackenzie Carter's basket sent Coahoma into the halftime break with the 39-29 lead.
Coming out of the locker room, Coahoma hit the gas to open the third quarter and never looked back. After Mitchell opened the third with a basket, the Lady Tigers would go on to score the next 10 points and holding Northwest scoreless for almost four minutes.
Coahoma stretched its lead to 20 points at the start of the fourth quarter and led by double figures the rest of the way. The Lady Rangers worked the deficit down to 11 points, but that came with just 1:04 left in regulation, not leaving enough time for a comeback attempt.
Mitchell led Northwest with 13 points and was the only Lady Ranger to score in double digits. Jenkins was held to five points, but led the team with 10 rebounds, while
Alexus Lindsey provided six points and six boards.
With the loss, Northwest dropped its sixth straight game, falling to 6-10 overall and 1-6 in conference play. Meanwhile, Coahoma jumped to 9-4 on the season and 5-1 in the MACCC.
Next up for the Lady Rangers is a road contest at East Central on Monday, January 30. The Lady Warriors are 5-10 overall and 2-4 in the MACCC, most recently suffering a 77-47 loss at Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Tipoff for Monday's road contest is scheduled for 6 P.M. in Decatur. Fans unable to attend can watch the game on
eccclive.com/gold-channel.
