Meridian, Miss — The Meridian Community College Eagles snapped their conference skid in a big way, earning a much-needed 79-60 victory over the Northwest Rangers on Thursday night. The win marks the Eagles' (9-17, 2-9 conference) first conference triumph in a month, igniting the home crowd and providing a strong boost as the season winds down.

Meridian set the tone early, jumping out to a commanding 9-0 lead and extending it to 16-2 halfway through the first half. The Eagles' energy on both ends of the floor was evident, with crisp ball movement and tenacious defense. A flurry of three-pointers late in the half helped the Eagles carry a 35-23 advantage into the break.

Coming out of the locker room, the Eagles stayed hot, starting the second half with a 7-0 run that widened the gap and put the Rangers (6-17, 1-11 conference) on their heels. Meridian never looked back, controlling the pace and extending the lead with contributions from both starters and bench players, including a few late three-pointers that kept the crowd on its feet.

Leading the charge was Tre Taylor, who poured in 19 points, followed closely by Michael James with 17 and Javion Johnson with 14. Chance Sutton also made a strong impact, adding 11 points to give the Eagles four players in double figures.

The Eagles will look to carry this momentum into their next matchup as they hit the road to face Southwest Mississippi on Monday, February 24.