SENATOBIA - For the second consecutive game, freshman Alorian Story was the story for Northwest on Monday evening.

A native of Ripley, Story scored 20 points with 18 rebounds, notching her seventh double-double and her fourth 20-point scoring effort of the season. Combined with an additional 12 points from Layla Hampton, the Lady Rangers scored a 63-56 decision against Mississippi Delta.

With the victory, Northwest got the better of a red-hot Mississippi Delta squad that had won 13 of its 14 games over the course of the season. The Lady Trojans fell to 13-2 overall and 3-2 in the MACCC, as the Lady Rangers jumped to 8-7 overall and 4-1 in conference play.

Both teams traded their fair share of jabs throughout the opening 10 minutes, but Northwest managed to widen the gap to seven points, 15-8, with 2:51 left in the first quarter. From there, Mississippi Delta held the Lady Rangers to just two points down the stretch, entering the second quarter within a 17-13 deficit.

Neither squad could pull away during the second quarter, with the largest lead being a six-point advantage for Northwest. However, the Lady Trojans closed the gap to one, 32-31, by halftime.

Jada Foster's jumper helped Mississippi Delta open the second half with a brief lead, but Story responded with a layup on the other end of the floor, allowing Northwest to reclaim the advantage. From there, the Lady Rangers led throughout the rest of the third period, stretching the gap to double figures by the start of the fourth quarter.

Despite trailing by 12 in the early stages of the fourth, the Lady Trojans refused to quit. Back-to-back baskets from Layla Carter and Lauren Nelson helped Mississippi Delta cut the deficit to eight, 54-46, and MDCC would eventually pull back within four points with 2:04 remaining in regulation.

However, back-to-back three-pointers from Aaliyah Taylor silenced the Lady Trojans' rally, as Northwest held off Mississippi Delta over the final minute of play.

Thanks to the efforts of Story, points in the paint proved to be the most notable difference-maker, as the Lady Rangers outscored MDCC 42-10. Northwest also picked up 19 points off turnovers, compared to 10 from the Lady Trojans.

Northwest shot 38 percent from the floor, compared to 30 percent from Mississippi Delta. The Lady Trojans did finish with an 81 percent average from the free throw line, besting the 50 percent average from the Lady Rangers.

Aside from the performances of Hampton and Story, Takera Bland also fell just shy of a double-double, netting nine points and nine rebounds. Reed-Jones also contributed seven points and six rebounds, while Taylor finished with eight points on the evening.

Additionally, Hampton nearly had a double-double of her own, adding eight assists to her stat totals. The Memphis native also led the Lady Rangers with five steals.

Janiah Caples was the driving force for Mississippi Delta, scoring 17 points with 16 rebounds. Carter followed with 13 points, followed by 10 points and seven boards from Lauren Nelson.

Northwest now leads the all-time series against the Lady Trojans by a 67-27 margin, earning revenge from a 68-60 non-conference loss back on December 2, 2024. 

Next up for the Lady Rangers is a road test at Northeast on Thursday, January 30. The Lady Tigers (11-9, 3-2 MACCC) are coming off a 59-46 loss at Mississippi Gulf Coast on Monday evening.

Tipoff from Booneville is slated for 5:30 P.M. at Bonner Arnold Coliseum, with live coverage on nemcctv.com.

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