SUMMIT – The No. 7 nationally-ranked Co-Lin Lady Wolves made 3out of 4 free throws in the closing seconds to escape the surgingSouthwest Lady Bears with a 69-64 victory in South Division actionThursday night at the Southwest Gymnasium.

In the men’s action, the Southwest Bears managed to hold off theCo-Lin Wolves rally for a 64-61 win.

The Lady Wolves and Wolves resume action Saturday, traveling toUtica to face the Hinds Bulldogs in a make-up game. The game wasoriginally schedule for Jan. 10, but was postponed due to badweather. Tip off is 1 p.m. with the women’s game, followed by themen’s.

Co-Lin 69, Southwest 64

The Lady Wolves (14-1, 7-0) were hanging on to a 2-point lead inthe last minute of the game as Southwest was threatening to tie orcapture the lead.

Co-Lin’s JaQuandria Williams managed to get her hand in the passinglane and stole the pass, but before she could get a fast-breakstarted she was fouled with 16 seconds left. Williams went 1 of 2from the charity strip.

On the next play, Co-Lin’s Kiara Etienne managed to tie up with aSouthwest player for a jump ball call that the Lady Wolves wonturning the possession arrow in Co-Lin’s favor. Etienne sank twofree throws to seal the win with 7 seconds left in the game.

The Lady Wolves post players, Paige Webster and Brandi Simmons,showed their dominance in the paint gathering 13 points apiece tolead Co-Lin. Etienne chipped in with 12 points.

“Southwest played really hard the whole game,” said Co-Lin women’scoach Gwyn Young. “We were 27 percent from the field in the firsthalf and Southwest managed to gain momentum going into halftime. Inthe second half, we made a couple of good runs to recapture thelead, but Southwest did not give up.”

“Our subs did a good job for us by coming in to spark a rally, butwe did not take care of the ball,” continued Young. “We werefortunate to get two big stops and hit some key baskets in theclosing seconds. Overall, I am glad to get the win.”

Sophomore guard Kierra Addison knocked down a game-high 20 pointsand grabbed 7 rebounds to lead the Lady Bears (6-8, 1-6). BrittanyPatterson pumped in 16 points; Aunjanique Miller added 12points.

“We don’t get rewarded with moral victories, so we are not happyabout tonight’s outcome,” said Southwest women’s coach CaseyCarter. “Overall, we managed to put together and played the entire40-minutes. I am glad that we are getting better as a team. Now, wemust build on this and get better in practice.”

Southwest 64, Co-Lin 61

The Wolves (6-9, 2-4) came out sluggish in the first half andtrailed the Southwest Bears 33-20 at halftime. In the second half,the Wolves managed to get hot and put together a rally to capturethe lead from Southwest with 5:15 left in the game.

The last 5 minutes of the game was a typical Co-Lin versusSouthwest battle with several lead changes. Southwest managed toregain the momentum in the game on crucial turnovers by the Wolvesand pad their lead to 6 points in the closing seconds. Co-Lin’sAntonio Holmes sank a three-pointer at the buzzer to cutSouthwest’s win margin to 3 points.

Co-Lin sophomore Marcus Hooten pumped in a game-high 20 points tolead the Wolves; Holmes contributed 17 points; Earnest Waferprovided 10 points. Jamaal McCoy was the leader on the boards with15 rebounds.

“Free throws were the biggest factor of the game for us,” saidCo-Lin coach Dennis Sims. “We were 10 of 22 from the charityline.”

“For the second time in a row, we played poorly in the first halfand good in the second half,” continued Sims. “We have got to finda way to be consistent in both halves. We also have to do a betterjob in protecting the ball and not make crucial turnovers when wehave the lead.”

Freshman forward George Thomas knocked down a team-high 19 pointsto lead the Bears (3-11, 2-5). P.J. McCray netted 17 points andgrabbed 7 rebounds. Cory Lacy added 15 points.

“My guys played very hard,” said Southwest coach Bill Wallace.”Co-Lin did a great job battling back in the second half. It was aclassic hard fought basketball game between Southwest and Co-Lin inthe final minutes. Overall, I was very pleased with our effort inthe first half.”