ELLISVILLE - After concluding the regular season with an unblemished 16-0 overall record and an 11-0 mark against MACCC competition, the top-ranked Northwest Lady Rangers will begin the first stage of the postseason on Thursday in the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament. 

As the MACCC champion, Northwest will be the No. 1 seed for the tournament and are pitted against fourth-seeded Itawamba. The match is scheduled for an 11 A.M. start time, with the winner advancing to Saturday's championship match against the victor of the Holmes-Pearl River battle.

Northwest is aiming to defend last season's NJCAA Region 23 title, the first in program history. Prior to that, the Lady Rangers finished as the tournament runners-up in 2022, after Holmes won on penalty kicks.

Itawamba enters the semifinals with a 12-3-2 overall record and advanced on penalty kicks against 12th-ranked and defending national champions Jones College. The match was tied 1-1 and remained deadlocked through two overtime periods.

In the regular season meeting against the Lady Indians, Northwest earned a 5-1 victory on October 8. Itawamba was ranked No. 20 at the time and currently hold the No. 19 slot.

All matches in the region tournament will be carried on jcbobcats.com/watch. Tickets can be purchased online for $10 at jcbobcats.com/tickets or at the gate for $15. Tickets sold at the gate are cash only.