SENATOBIA - For the third year in a row, the Northwest Lady Rangers started off the MACCC slate on a high note, battling to a 79-72 victory against Copiah-Lincoln on Monday evening.

All five Northwest starters reached double figures, led by a pair of double-doubles from freshmen Takera Bland and Alorian Story. Story, the Ripley native, totaled 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Bland chipped in 12 points and a team-leading 16 rebounds. Additionally, Bland was also credited with four of the Lady Rangers' five blocks.

Northwest certainly had the hot hand early, capitalizing on some early Co-Lin mistakes to race out to a 24-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. However, the Lady Wolves clawed back into things over the span of the second period, trimming the deficit to 39-33 by halftime.

Behind the efforts of Angel "Cookie" Wilkinson, Co-Lin continued to pressure Northwest throughout the second half, but the Lady Rangers refused to surrender the lead. With a 55-49 advantage entering the fourth quarter, both teams traded blows down the stretch and the Lady Wolves continued to inch closer.

However, the Lady Rangers' starting core held firm and made the difference-making plays late in the fourth, sealing the conference-opening triumph.

Northwest finished 51 percent from the floor, but were shooting close to 70 percent late in the first quarter. The Lady Rangers struggled at times from the free throw line, but ultimately finished 16-of-24 (67%).

Both teams were abysmal from beyond the arc, with Northwest shooting just 21 percent and Co-Lin going 4-for-20 (20%). The Lady Wolves shot 35 percent from the floor and 62 percent from the charity stripe.

Aside from the efforts of Bland and Story, sophomore Mariah Reed-Jones added 17 points and six rebounds for the Lady Rangers. Layla Hampton totaled 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds on the evening, while Aaliyah Taylor compiled 11 points.

In all, the Northwest starting five accounted for 75 of the team's 79 points. Anaria Lee and Shiloh Hatch chipped in the final four points off the bench, accounting for two each.

As for Co-Lin, Wilkinson led the Lady Wolves with 22 points, eight steals and six rebounds, followed by 15 points and eight rebounds from Jamyria Robinson. 

Next up for Northwest is a road rematch with East Mississippi, scheduled for Thursday, January 16 in Scooba. The two teams met last week for a non-conference tussle, with the Lady Lions leaving town with a 62-51 win.

East Mississippi (5-8, 0-1 MACCC) opened conference competition with a 74-45 loss at Mississippi Gulf Coast on Monday night. Northwest leads the all-time series against the Lady Lions, 64-38, dating back to 1952.

Tipoff from Keyes T. Currie Coliseum in Scooba is scheduled for 5:30 P.M. Fans unable to attend can watch the game at emcclive.com. Read Full Article