SENATOBIA - Northwest Mississippi Community College women's basketball team (21-8, 11-3) overcame a slow offensive start to beat Jones College (20-9, 8-6) by a score of 61-56 in the quarterfinals of the Region 23 Women's Basketball Tournament.
Only making two shots and shooting 12.5% from the field in the first quarter, the game started in a less than ideal way for the Rangers. The first quarter was tough for NWCC because the Bobcats simply dominated under the basket, scoring 12 of their 15 first quarter points in the paint.
The second quarter saw the Ranger offense come to life, especially sophomore guard Layla Hampton. After scoring all five of Ranger's first quarter points, Hampton scored 10 of the Ranger's 15 second quarter points. Hampton ended the half with 15 of the 20 points on the board for Northwest belonging to her.
Every time NWCC seemed to close the lead in the second quarter, JC had a response. After cutting the lead down to only four points, Jones closed the half by going on a 7-4 run. This gave them a 27-20 lead going into the halftime break.
The same story seemed to play out in the third quarter. The Rangers opened the quarter on a 9-3 run to cut the lead down to one point. However, the Bobcats were able to respond with a 9-0 run of their own.
Northwest struggled with committing fouls in the third quarter, allowing Jones to go to the line eight times during the frame. No trip to the line was more momentum shifting than when Bobcat Saniyla Smith got sent to the free throw line to shoot three after a half-court heave at the buzzer, draining all three.
The score going into the fourth quarter was 45-38 with NWCC trailing. However, the Rangers exploded offensively to score 23 points and eventually secure the thrilling victory.
The quarter opened with a three-pointer from A'Destiny Bogan. Going on a 10-3 run to tie the game at 48 points apiece, this shot proved to be the spark that Northwest needed. The momentum stayed with the Rangers when Dekyra Mitchell was able to give the Rangers their first lead of the ballgame with 3:30 on the clock.
However, the Bobcats would not go quietly, hitting a game-tying three-point shot with 1:34 on the clock. The biggest shot of the night came from Zoe Metcalf sinking a three-pointer to give NWCC the lead. Northwest was able to extend the lead via free throws in the last seconds of the game to give them the 61-56 win.
When the team was struggling in the first half, there was one player that kept them in the game, sophomore guard Layla Hampton. With 15 of the 20 first half points, the goal was simple for her.
"I just knew that I had to keep making shots," Hampton said. "They were stopping my other players, so I just had to step it up."
This is the last game in Howard Coliseum for the women's basketball team, so the entire team, along with Head Coach LaTaryl Williams, took a moment to wave and show their appreciation to Ranger Nation before walking off of the court.
"This group means a lot to me. Their parents have been very supportive of us. They come to all of our games," Coach Williams said. "I just wanted to take that moment and give them some appreciation for what we've seen from them all season and the last two years."
Northwest does not want to stop here. The Rangers want to keep advancing in the postseason. To achieve that, the message in the locker room is clear.
"Just take it one game at a time," Coach Williams said.
NWCC will travel to the host site of Pearl River Community College in Poplarville on Wednesday, March 11, to take on Itawamba Community College (22-7, 12-2) at 5:30 p.m.
To stay up to date on the NWCC women's basketball team, follow the Ranger social media accounts or go to nwccrangers.com.
