SENATOBIA - Sophomore guard Kae'la Mitchell totaled a career-high 19 points and led all scorers in a 63-48 victory against Jones College on Thursday evening.

A native of Little Rock, Mitchell posted her ninth game of the season in double figures, as Northwest improved to 11-4 overall and 3-1 in the MACCC. The Lady Bobcats dropped to 4-12 overall and 0-5 in conference play.

As a team still searching for its first conference victory, Jones College made the Lady Rangers work for the win, as the Lady Bobcats challenged Northwest for most of the night. Trailing 8-4 early in the first quarter, Mitchell sank a three-pointer to close the gap to a point midway through the opening quarter.

Jones College continued to lead for most of the quarter, until a pair of free throws by Anaria Lee tied the game at 13-13 with 44 seconds remaining. After the Lady Bobcats failed to respond on the other end of the floor, Zaria Glover connected with Marian Jenkins on a successful jump shot at the end of of the quarter, giving Northwest a 15-13 lead.

Northwest gained a little separation in the second quarter, as Lily Whitley's fastbreak layup made it a six-point lead at the 7:17 mark. Neither team would score over the next two minutes, but a layup from Mitchell stretched the Lady Rangers' lead to 23-15 with just over minutes to go until halftime.

Leading 28-21 at halftime, Northwest widened the gap to as many as 10 points early in the second half. However, the Lady Bobcats were not going to go down quietly, as Jones College carved into the deficit late in the third quarter. An 8-0 run for the Lady Bobcats and a three-minute scoring drought for the Lady Rangers trimmed the deficit to one, only for Lee to hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to make it a 47-43 advantage.

Northwest quickly pushed the lead back to nine early in the fourth quarter and Jones College was held to just five points over the final 10 minutes, securing the home victory for the Lady Rangers.

As a team, Northwest shot 40 percent from the floor and 60 percent from the free throw line, while outscoring Jones College 24-7 off the bench. The Lady Bobcats finished with a 31 percent shooting average, but just 14 percent from beyond the arc.

Mitchell's double-digit scoring effort was coupled by five steals and four rebounds, while Zaria Glover contributed nine points and four rebounds off the bench. Mariah Reed-Jones totaled seven points, followed by six points and six rebounds from Marian Jenkins.

Aasia Wilson led Jones College with 12 points, followed by nine apiece from Chrystianna Beeman and Le'Genesis Johnson. Valencia McFall led the Lady Bobcats in total rebounds, earning nine boards on the evening.

Northwest will have a quick turnaround, as the Lady Rangers host Southwest Mississippi on Saturday, February 3 at 4 P.M. The game is a make-up date from the original January 18 date, which was postponed at the time due to hazardous travel conditions.

Southwest Mississippi (12-4, 3-0 MACCC) is riding a four-game winning streak, a stretch that includes the Lady Bears' 68-52 victory against Holmes on Thursday evening. 

Saturday's contest can be seen on Ranger TV, by visiting nwccrangers.com/watch. Read Full Article