Lady Rangers win overtime thriller on Sophomore Night

Northwest to close regular season next Monday at SMCC

Photo: Mariah Reed-Jones netted 25 points in a thrilling Sophomore Night win for Northwest. (Credit Keith Pitts/nwccrangers.com)

Feb. 25, 2025- An electric atmosphere was on full display for Sophomore Night on Monday evening, as Northwest outscored Mississippi Gulf Coast 11-2 in overtime to earn a hard-fought 77-68 victory against the Lady Bulldogs.

Prior to the game, sophomores Mariah Reed-Jones, Anaria Lee and Aaliyah Taylor were honored, as well as managers Trinity Pleas and Alexandra Taylor. Reed-Jones, a native of Oxford, went off for a 25-point performance and scored the most points since achieving a career-high 29 points earlier this season at Holmes.

With the win, the Lady Rangers improved to 10-13 on the season and 6-7 in conference play. The win kept Northwest at eighth in the MACCC standings, while Mississippi Gulf Coast (13-11, 7-5 MACCC) remains tied for fifth with Mississippi Delta.

Tamia Yates got the first basket of the game for the Lady Bulldogs, but the Lady Rangers quickly answered with a jumper from Reed-Jones, sparking an 11-0 run over the next three and a half minutes. Northwest built a 12-4 lead and ended the first quarter with a 15-10 advantage.

However, Mississippi Gulf Coast quickly stormed back in the second quarter, turning a five-point deficit into a 17-17 tie, thanks to Kristen McMillan’s three-pointer at the 5:51 mark of the quarter. Jhaniya Davis answered with a layup on the other end, only for Lamarah Cleaves to sink a three-point basket, giving the Lady Bulldogs a 20-19 lead.

Over the remaining five minutes of the first half, both teams traded blows back and forth, until a layup from Alorian Story and a three-pointer by Lee gave the Lady Rangers a 31-25 advantage with 1:15 left. Northwest missed three shots down the stretch and Mississippi Gulf Coast also failed to convert on two chances, sending NWCC to halftime with the six-point lead.

Story opened the second half with a quick layup to push the Lady Rangers’ lead to eight and Reed-Jones sank a pair of free throws a couple minutes later, giving Northwest its first 10-point lead of the evening. Trailing 39-29, the Lady Bulldogs suddenly grabbed the momentum with a 16-2 run over the next three minutes, regaining a 45-41 advantage.

However, back-to-back baskets from Reed-Jones helped stop the bleeding and a three-pointer from Aaliyah Taylor cut the deficit to 49-48 entering the fourth quarter.

Neither team led by more than three points over the span of the fourth quarter, and things progressively became more intense as the clock began to wind down. A pair of Dekyra Mitchell free throws helped Mississippi Gulf Coast take a three-point lead, 65-62, with 50 seconds remaining, only for Story to cut the lead to one with a layup on the other end of the floor.

Taelar Felton made one of her two free throw attempts with 35 seconds left, pushing the Lady Bulldogs to a two-point advantage, but Takera Bland quickly added a layup with 31 seconds, tying the game at 66-66. 

On the ensuing possession, Allison Irby turned the ball over to the Lady Rangers’ Layla Hampton, but Story failed to hit the shot and Mississippi Gulf Coast got another chance with 11 seconds to go. The Lady Bulldogs raced down the floor, putting the ball in the hands of McMillan, but her three-point attempt was no good, and Hampton scooped up the rebound with four seconds left.

Northwest used its final timeout with two seconds left, but Story’s game-winning layup attempt came up just short, sending both teams to overtime. The additional period seemed to give the Lady Rangers more momentum, as Davis and Reed-Jones combined for three baskets, giving NWCC a 72-66 lead.

Hailey Brumfield finally got the Lady Bulldogs on the board with a layup at the 1:54 mark, but that would account for the only points scored by Mississippi Gulf Coast in the overtime period. From there, the Lady Rangers hit five free throws over the final 1:31, sealing the victory in the regular season home finale.

Northwest finished 46 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the free throw line, while the Lady Bulldogs shot 33 percent on the evening and 62 percent from the free throw line. The Lady Rangers outscored Mississippi Gulf Coast by a 48-30 margin in the paint and 21-13 off turnovers, but MGCCC also tallied 44 of its points from the reserves.

Along with her team-leading 25 points, Reed-Jones led Northwest with eight rebounds, while Story accounted for 16 points and seven boards. Hampton and Taylor also finished with eight points apiece, with Hampton also tallying seven rebounds.

Cleaves and McMillan combined to lead the Lady Bulldogs with 33 points off the bench, highlighted by 19 points from Cleaves and a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double from McMillan. Felton was the only starter in double figures for Mississippi Gulf Coast, scoring 10 points.

Northwest will close out the regular season next Monday, March 3 at Southwest Mississippi. The Lady Bears (15-10, 5-7 MACCC) are positioned one spot behind the Lady Rangers in the conference standings.

Tipoff from Summit is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.