SENATOBIA - Behind a 20-point effort from freshman
Mariah Reed-Jones, the Northwest Lady Rangers secured a 63-49 victory against Northeast on Thursday evening.
Jacia Hayes also posted an 11-point, 14-rebound double-double, as the Lady Rangers improved to 13-5 overall and 5-2 in the MACCC. Northeast dropped to 16-7 on the season and 4-3 in conference play.
Northwest raced out to a 6-0 lead in the opening minutes, thanks to a basket from
Mikayla Abram and back-to-back buckets from Hayes. However, Alexis Rowe rallied the Lady Tigers back with four points and a tying jump shot from Jakeria Hawkins.
Though the Lady Rangers regained a 9-6 advantage, neither team would score over the final four minutes of the quarter, keeping both teams below the 10-point threshold. Reed-Jones would finally break the ice just 30 seconds into the second quarter, giving Northwest the 11-5 lead.
Northwest flirted with a 10-point lead just under the five-minute mark of the quarter, as a layup by Reed-Jones made it a nine-point advantage for the Lady Rangers. However, Northeast remained within striking distance, slicing the deficit back to five points with 3:28 remaining in the first half.
After another layup from Rowe brought the Lady Tigers back within six, back-to-back shots from Hayes finally gave Northwest a 10-point lead with 47 seconds left. Jerrilyn Richardson responded with a layup at the 25-second mark, bringing Northeast back within a 25-17 halftime deficit.
While neither team shot the ball particularly well all evening, Northeast certainly suffered from more offensive woes than the Lady Rangers, especially in the third quarter. Less than 10 seconds into the second half,
Angela Middleton was fouled and promptly scored both free throws, giving Northwest a double-digit lead once again. By the end of the quarter, the Lady Rangers had swelled the lead to a 43-24 margin, outscoring the Lady Tigers by an 18-7 span.
Northwest would remain ahead by double figures the rest of the way, with Northeast only coming within 12 points at the midway point of the fourth quarter.
Northwest shot 36 percent from the floor and dominated Northeast in the paint, 28-14. Meanwhile, the Lady Tigers shot just 24 percent on the evening and missed all seven of their three-point attempts.
In addition to the performances of Reed-Jones and Hayes,
Zaria Glover also scored 12 points off the bench. Abram accounted for seven rebounds and five points, while also adding a pair of blocks. The Memphis native now has 51 blocks on the season, which leads the MACCC and ranks sixth in the NJCAA Division I ranks. Abram is also averaging three blocks per game, good for third in the nation.
Rowe and Hawkins accounted for 28 of the Lady Tigers' 49 points, with Rowe earning 18 points and nine rebounds. Tyesha James came off the Northeast bench to grab 11 rebounds and seven points.
Northwest will now gear up for its toughest test yet, a road matchup at No. 7 Pearl River, scheduled for Monday, February 12. The Lady Wildcats (18-3, 5-1 MACCC) are coming off their first conference loss, a 74-66 decision at Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 P.M. in Poplarville.
