Northwest Rankin at Petal — Girls basketball preview, Jan. 16, 2026

SBLive Report,

Petal -

Northwest Rankin travels to Petal on Friday, Jan. 16, with tip scheduled for 6 p.m. CST at Petal High School. Follow the official game page on SBLive for updates: https://scorebooklive.com/mississippi/girls-basketball/games/5759304-northwest-rankin-vs-petal

Game links

Game page: https://scorebooklive.com/mississippi/girls-basketball/games/5759304-northwest-rankin-vs-petal

Petal Panthers: https://scorebooklive.com/mississippi/girls-basketball/teams/176935-petal-panthers

Northwest Rankin Cougars: https://scorebooklive.com/mississippi/girls-basketball/teams/216352-northwest-rankin-cougars

Why this matters

The Cougars come into Petal looking to reaffirm the dominance they showed in the teams’ last meeting. On Jan. 17, 2025, Northwest Rankin posted a 63-24 victory in the previous matchup (full recap and box: https://scorebooklive.com/mississippi/girls-basketball/games/4539192-petal-vs-northwest-rankin). That one-sided result and the two programs’ contrasting fan bases — Northwest Rankin (61 SBLive fans) and Petal (42 SBLive fans) — add extra intrigue to Friday’s rematch.

Streaming and tickets

Check each school’s NFHS Network page for potential livestreams:

Petal NFHS Network: https://nfhsnetwork.com/schools/petal-high-school-petal-ms/basketball?referrer_name=scorebooklive&utm_campaign=scorebooklive&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=scorebooklive

Northwest Rankin NFHS Network: https://nfhsnetwork.com/schools/northwest-rankin-high-school-flowood-ms/basketball?referrer_name=scorebooklive&utm_campaign=scorebooklive&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=scorebooklive

Fan engagement

Make sure to follow both teams on SBLive to get roster updates, live stats and alerts. Fans can also make picks on the game — picks are for fun and help show support, but they are separate from any win-chance projections. (Past projections showed Northwest Rankin with about a 76.5% pregame chance in the teams’ last meeting; those numbers can change, so follow the teams and make picks for the squad you want to see win.)

Keep an eye on the SBLive game page for live scoring, final stats and postgame coverage.