Between a strong second half and a full-court buzzer-beater, both Northwest basketball teams had plenty to celebrate last Monday evening.
On the home floor, the Northwest Lady Rangers upset Itawamba with a 70-61 decision, while the Rangers stunned ICC 52-49 in Fulton, thanks to a full-court heave from freshman Isaiah Gaines.
For the women’s contest, Northwest led Itawamba 17-13 at the end of the first period and entered halftime with a 27-27 tie. Despite the deadlock, the Lady Rangers came out firing in the second half, pulling out a 10-point lead against ICC in the third quarter. From there, Northwest led by double digits for a majority of the half, with the Lady Indians only cutting the lead below 10 at the end of the contest.
Tierra Trotter led Northwest with 17 points, followed by 13 apiece from Maura Nunley and I’Yana Ragin. Kolten Blakeney also fell just short of a double-double, earning nine points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Over in Fulton, the Northwest men trailed 39-25 at halftime in a game that featured offensive struggles for both teams. However, the Rangers outscored the Indians 27-10 over the course of the second half and with the game tied at 49 apiece, Gaines lifted a full-court buzzer-beater that sailed into the basket for the stunning 52-49 victory.
Gaines’ buzzer-beater made its rounds across the country, earning the No. 1 spot on SportsCenter’s Top Plays for January 31 while also being shown on various other sport-related sites. The Pensacola native and FAU signee also fittingly led the Rangers with 21 points, followed by nine from Kavonte Tunstall and eight from Joseph Cooper.
With the victories, Northwest improved to 12-7 overall and 6-4 within the MACCC in women’s action, while the Ranger men jumped to 13-5 on the season and 6-4 against conference competition.
