By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PERKINSTON — The Biloxi girls came into Saturday’s first ever Class 7A South State Quarterfinal Round Tournament looking to make their second straight trip to the Big House in Jackson.
Northwest Rankin had other ideas, however.
The Lady Cougars withstood a furious fourth quarter rally by the Lady Indians to survive and advance with an exciting 46-41 win in overtime here at Dantzler Arena on the campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
The loss ends a pretty successful season for Biloxi at 26-6, but the Lady Indians came up one step short of making it to the first-ever Overall Class 7A Tournament which begins next week at The Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.

The win also earned Northwest Rankin a measure of revenge as well, after Biloxi slipped past the Lady Cougars 40-37 in the third game of the season for the Lady Indians.
Last season, Biloxi fell in the semifinal round of the Class 6A Final Four to Tupelo 56-45.
Tied up at 39-39 at the end of regulation, NWR outscored Biloxi 7-2 in the extra session to move on to play for the state title just a few miles down the road from their home.

The Lady Indians actually led 10-7 after the first quarter Saturday, thanks to five separate baskets from five different players.
But that just seemed to make the Lady Cougars mad.
Northwest Rankin used a big 20-point. explosion in the second stanza to erase that early small deficit, and went on to lead for most of the rest of regulation until right at the very end.
The Lady Cougars responded not only with that 20 spot in the second stanza but also turned up the defensive pressure on the other side of the court as well limiting Biloxi to just four points in the quarter to take a seemingly commanding 27-14 lead into halftime.
Khaniya Hooten tallied 10 points for NWR in that period, including hitting a pair of 3-pointers.
The Lady Cougars maintained their lead, although Biloxi cut the deficit to eight at 34-26 at the end of the third frame thanks to six points from Kylie Caruso.
The Lady Indians continually chipped away at NWR lead in the fourth period, until they tied the game up with just seven seconds to play on a basket by freshman center Zaniya Johnson to make it 39-39 and send the game into overtime.

However, NWR got four key free throws from Malia McCellis in the OT and secured the win by holding Biloxi to just two points.
Biloxi had won seven of its last eight games coming into Saturday’s match-up.
The Lady Indians were led by Johnson who tallied a game-high 17 points, including seven points in the fourth frame rally as well as Biloxi’s only basket in overtime. She also produced her 21st double-double of the season pulling down a game-high 17 rebounds as well to go along with seven blocked shots. Caruso added eight points for the Lady Indians. Aaliyah Davidson dished out five assists for BHS.
Hooten tallied 16 points to pace Northwest Brandon, with 15 of those coming in the first half. McCellis chipped in 14 points to the winning effort.
Northwest Rankin now stands 22-10 and moves on to face Tupelo in the Class 7A semifinals at The Mississippi Coliseum on Thursday at 9 a.m.