Northwest Mississippi tops National Park for Williams’ 100th win

Northwest Mississippi Community College defeated National Park College 72-55, earning coach LaTaryl Williams his 100th career win. The Rangers improved to 1-4, according to the team’s report.

Northwest trailed for much of the first half before freshman guard Caroline Kelley made a 3-pointer as time expired, cutting National Park’s lead to one. The Rangers carried that momentum into the second half and began building their advantage after forcing a series of turnovers.

Williams said the team emphasized applying pressure at halftime, denying National Park’s wings and making it harder for them to run their offense. He said the approach created chances to score in transition.

Sophomore Zoe Metcalf and freshman Grace Eatmon each recorded three steals. Every player in Northwest’s starting five had at least one. The Rangers collected 33 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds, with freshman Madison Holts leading the team with 11 boards.

Freshman Morgan Thompson led Northwest with 15 points. The team also made 16 of 21 free throws, a 76.2% rate, improving on its reported season average of 34.9%.

Williams said the milestone meant a lot, but he had not told the players about it because he did not want the game to be about him. He said he hoped to coach long enough to reach another 100 wins.

The team’s report listed a game against ASU-Mid South for Saturday, Nov. 14, at 2 p.m. The listed time had passed by the time of publication; no result was provided.

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