Ranger stays unbeaten with OT win over Howard

The Ranger College women's basketball team kept its season record unblemished on Saturday. It did, however, take them a little extra time to get past the Howard College Lady Hawks.

Raine Morgan pumped in a game-high 17 points and Angel Reese grabbed 12 boards en route to lifting Ranger to a thrilling 53-49 overtime victory in front of a small crowd in the Dorothy Garrett Coliseum in Big Spring. The Lady Rangers outscored the Lady Hawks by an 11-7 clip in the OT period to improve to 7-0.

Averie Benson gave Howard a big boost in the final seconds of regulation. The HC star took an inbounds pass on the right wing and nailed a buzzer-beating three-pointer that knotted the score at 42-42. Benson's trey enabled the Lady Hawks to erase a 9-point RC lead in the final 2:58 and force a tie.

Morgan more than provided enough offense to get RC going. She nailed down three three-point shots early in the contest and, aided by solid play by Reese and Alena Wilson, helped Ranger run to an early lead.

Ranger outscored Howard College in each of the first three quarters of play and held a 32-29 lead at the start of the fourth period. The Lady Rangers built the lead to nine before Howard caught fire down the stretch.

Giordin Johnson also enjoyed a solid outing for RC. She finished as the team's second-leading scorer with nine points, Reese and She'Ray Wilson added eight apiece.

Ranger will return to action on Nov. 29 when they travel to Athens to participate in the Trinity Valley tournament. The Lady Rangers will tip off the two-day event at 3 p.m. with a matchup against Paris Junior College. They will face Panola College on Nov. 30, starting at 3 p.m.