Lady Rangers survive scare from ‘Devils

The Adelaide Blue Devils came a long way to face off with the Ranger College Lady Rangers on Wednesday. They also shot from long distance well enough to sink a game-high 11 three-pointers, and force Ranger into more than eight turnovers in the first half.

It was what they didn't do, however, that enabled the Ranger College women to rally for a 63-60 victory over the Australian Under 20 national squad in front of a small crowd in the Ron Butler Gymnasium.

Angel Reese came away with a steal with less than 45 seconds left in regulation and lofted a pass to Shan'Qaylia Stanton who knocked down a short jumper from the left side that enabled the Lady Rangers to rally from a 4-point deficit in the final three minutes Reese's steal helped Ranger grab a 61-60 lead and cement the team's eighth win in their first nine outings.

"We didn't have our 'A game' but we figured out a way to get it done," said RC head coach Bill Foy. "Stanton was big down the stretch and really carried us."

Adelaide, a team of Australian all-stars touring the U.S., opened the game with a quick start. Jordyn Freer knocked down two of her game-high five treys in the first 10 of play and powered the Blue Devils to a surprising 17-16 lead.

Ruby Angok led the Lady Rangers' first-quarter scoring. A 6-foot-3 freshman from Grand Rapids, Mich., she pushed home all seven of her points in the opening frame.

Adelaide remained hot from the outside in the second. Freer tacked on two more treys while teammates Halle Njoroge and Olivia Renshaw added three-point bombs to spark 16-point barrage. Adelaide used the long-distance shooting to carry a 33-32 lead into the half.

Ranger College managed to turn the tide a bit in the third. Stanton, who finished with a team-high 18 points and four assists, sank three shots from the floor in the initial 10 minutes of the second and helped RC put together a 16-14 spree. The run sent Ranger into the fourth quarter nursing a 48-47 lead.

Adelaide rallied to take a 4-point lead midway through the final stanza thanks, in part, to a pair of treys from Montana Briggs.

Fortunately for RC, Stanton and Reese were just as potent down the stretch. Stanton scored 13 of her offensive points in the second half. Reese netted eight in the second half, including a pair of buckets in the final frame.

Reese also collected a team-high nine rebounds.

With Adelaide leading 60-59 with 47 seconds left, Reese came away with the defensive play of the night, stealing the ball from Renshaw near midcourt. Following a pass downcourt, Reese pushed home the shot that gave a lead.

Marshalia Lollie also played well for RC in the win. She finished the game with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Ranger College will return to play on Saturday, Dec. 8, to host Howard College starting at 2 p.m. Howard dealt the Lady Rangers their only loss of the season last month by grabbing a 57-55 decision in Big Spring on Nov. 12.