WESSON - Although Northwest fell behind by double digits at Copiah-Lincoln in the second half, the Lady Rangers bounced back with a 15-2 run to close out the third quarter, ultimately earning a 78-68 victory on Monday evening.

Northwest was aided by the performance of its bench, as the Lady Rangers outscored Co-Lin 42-26 in that category. Kae'la Mitchell came off the bench to lead all scorers with 18 points, while Jacia Hayes also added 16 points and seven rebounds.

With the win, the Lady Rangers moved to 9-3 overall and 1-0 in the MACCC, as the Lady Wolves fell to 8-6 on the season and 0-2 in conference play.

Co-Lin came out firing early in the opening minutes, but Northwest responded with a run of its own and closed the first quarter with a 15-13 advantage. The Lady Wolves began a 10-0 run late in the first quarter and carried the momentum over to the second, but Mitchell's three-pointer at the six-minute mark quickly put the Lady Rangers back ahead, 22-21.

Co-Lin erased a 24-21 deficit with a 7-2 run of its own, but Zaria Glover gave Northwest some momentum heading into halftime, as the sophomore's three-pointer at the buzzer closed the gap to 32-30.

Northwest fell behind further coming out of the locker room, as the Lady Wolves built up a 13-point advantage, their largest lead of the game. However, the Lady Rangers embarked on a 15-2 run, capped off by Hayes' layup at the buzzer, tying the game at 52-52.

Despite the large run for Northwest, Co-Lin was not about to fold on its home floor. The Lady Wolves remained within striking distance for most of the fourth quarter, until back-to-back layups from Hayes made it a 72-65 lead with 1:50 left to go. From there, Northwest made stops and hit shots to seal the conference-opening victory.

Northwest shot 48 percent from the floor, compared to just 38 percent from the Lady Wolves. The Lady Rangers also held Co-Lin to just 24 percent from three-point range, while also outscoring the home team 22-14 in points off turnovers.

In addition to the stellar efforts from Hayes and Mitchell, Mariah Reed-Jones also scored 15 points and six rebounds in her starting role. Mikayla Abram also tacked on nine points, followed by six more off the bench from Anaria Lee.

Three Co-Lin players reached double figures, including a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double by Ceara Myers and a 13-point output from Lashaunte Payne. A'Shante Fleming also provided 10 points and seven rebounds, while collecting three of the Lady Wolves' seven steals.

Northwest will return to Howard Coliseum on Thursday for the first home game in two weeks, as the Lady Rangers take on East Mississippi. The Lady Lions (3-13, 0-2 MACCC) are currently on a five-game losing skid, but EMCC did collect one of its three victories against Northwest earlier in the season, a 54-59 decision on November 27.

Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 P.M. on Ranger TV and Action News 5 Plus.  Read Full Article