Collin holds off Ranger for key win

The Collin College Cougars reeled off a 15-0 run in the first five minutes of play on Saturday and then held off a big push by the Ranger College Lady Rangers to claim a wild 72-66 victory in the Ron Butler Gym.

The win was anything but easy for Collin, which remains in a tie with Weatherford for the top spot in the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference standings. After opening the game with a big run, the Cougars struggled to keep with Shan'Qaylia Stanton and the RC offense. Ranger, once it got its offense in gear, outscored Collin by a 66-57 clip over the final three and a half quarters.

With the victory, Collin improved to 17-5 for the season and went to 7-2 in NTJCAC action. Ranger, now 15-7, slipped into a tie with Grayson College for fifth in the standings with a 5-4 mark.

Collin used its quick start to power its way to a big lead early. The Cougars, who had three players score into double figures in the game, held a 23-14 lead at the end of the first 10 minutes of play. They tacked on a 17-14 run in the second and stretched their lead to 12, at 40-28, at the half.

Ranger stormed back in the third. The RC women opened the second half with a staggering 23-13 spree in the third and pulled to within two, at 53-51, at the start of the fourth quarter.

Ranger will return to action on Wednesday when they host McLennan Community College, beginning at 5:30 p.m.