Dillon shines as Northwest Rankin holds off Meridian

Published 8:06 am Wednesday, January 14, 2026

FLOWOOD — Northwest Rankin gets pay back.

Behind the play of standout junior Deshawn Dillon the Cougars held off Meridian 60-54 in a key Region 3-7A matchup on Tuesday night.

Northwest Rankin avenges their 63-58 loss to the Wildcats last month and now both teams are tied for first place in Region 3-7A at 2-1.

“When we went to Meridian the first time, they beat us by five, and we had a horrible start, so we had to fight back the whole game, and tonight we had a chip on our shoulder and knowing we had to win by six to get a tiebreaker,” said Northwest Rankin coach Sirdonta Washington said. “Meridian is a very good and well-coached team. Coach Norman does a great job preparing their guys, play extremely hard, and execute their sets. They’re going to be there in the end, and we look forward to competing with them.”

It was a back-and-forth game that saw 13 lead changes.

Northwest Rankin held a slim 17-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Meridian opened the second quarter on a quick 6-2 run to take a 20-19 lead, but Dillon would score eight straight points for Northwest Rankin. The Wildcats answered with a basket each time that saw the game hold a 27-27 tie at halftime.

To begin the third quarter Meridian opened with an 8-2 lead to take a 35-29 lead, their largest lead of the game, but Northwest Rankin responded with a 12-2 run to take a 41-37 lead. The Cougars eventually held a 43-39 lead at the end of the quarter.

Demontae Powe scored the next eight points for Meridian to give the Wildcats a 47-46 lead early in the fourth quarter. From that point each team traded baskets and leads. Derrick Watts tied the game up at 52-52 with a three-pointer with 1:57 left, but a Caleb Hobson three-pointer with 1:31 left gave Northwest Rankin a 55-52 lead.

With the Cougars up 55-54 with just under a minute left Christopher Sanders hit a lay-up and Dillon made three free throws with four seconds to seal the win for Northwest Rankin.

Dillon finished with a game-high 26 points to lead Northwest Rankin, while Sanders added 15 points for the Cougars (12-6, 2-1 Region 3-7A).

“The things we were able to do is a testament to our work we do every day in practice. I remind him to take no days off or plays off because on nights like tonight it was time for him to take over and get a bucket when we needed him,” Washington said. “Getting defensive stops when we needed and getting buckets when we needed was big for us.”

Powe finished with 18 points to lead Meridian, while William Davidson added 14 points for the Wildcats (10-7, 2-1).

“They made more plays than us down the stretch and their guy was really good tonight and all credit goes to him,” said Meridian coach Ron Norman. “He made the plays to win the game, but I’m really proud of our kids and we’re expected to see them again in the postseason. This game will make us better.”

Girls

Northwest Rankin 54, Meridian 38

Malia McCelleis had 20 points as the Lady Cougars (15-6, 2-1 Region 3-7A) ran past the Lady Wildcats.