WESSON – Was there any way that the Copiah-Lincoln Community College Lady Wolves could top what they did in the 1999-2000 season – 24-6 overall and runner-up in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region XXIII Tournament?

So far, the answer has been yes.

The Lady Wolves are currently 12-0 overall and ranked fifth nationally in the latest NJCAA Top 25 women’s basketball poll.

And they are doing this with only one full-time starter – 5-foot-10 forward Tiffany Dales – and two part-time starters – 5-foot-5 guard Rusti Smith and 5-foot-8 guard Sheritha Simmons – from last year’s team.

Lady Wolves head coach Gwyn Young said he’s a little surprised by his team’s quick start.

&uot;Our post game has developed a little better than I thought it would at this point,&uot; Young said. &uot;We’ve got a lot of depth and that helps with foul trouble and gives our starters some rest.&uot;

A national ranking may help the Lady Wolves stay on top for years to come, as the added attention usually aids recruiting efforts, Young said.

&uot;It’s got to help some,&uot; he said. &uot;You see a team ranked and you want to be a part of it.&uot;

Young said he and his players haven’t talked about coping with success, as mid-season rankings don’t affect the end of the season.

&uot;I stay on them about getting better,&uot; he said. &uot;I want them to get better and see how good we are at the end of the year.&uot;

Young said his team is playing with confidence, but &uot;there’s still room for improvement.&uot;

That wasn’t obvious in Co-Lin’s 81-58 win over the East Central Community College Lady Warriors Monday, as the Lady Wolves improved to 2-0 in the South Division of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges Conference.

Dales scored a game-high 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Dales is the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 12 points a game.

Mindy Livivdais, a 6’0&uot; freshman center/forward from Ridgewood (La.) Prep High School, is the team’s leading scorer at 18 points a game and the team’s co-leader in rebounds with 5-foot-9 freshman forward Christy Brown of Zachary (La.) High School with six boards a game.

The team is also loaded with several players from the Natchez area – 6-foot-2 sophomore post player Eric Bennett from Natchez High School; 5-foot-10 freshman forward Laurie Ann Davis from Adams County Christian School; and Shaquita Smith and CoToya Winston, a pair of 5-foot-11 freshman forwards from Jefferson County High School.

Davis scored her only points of Monday’s game on a three-point shot, one of seven made by the Lady Wolves.

&uot;When we shoot from the outside, a lot of good things happen,&uot; Young said. &uot;Our defense has been pretty good at this point.&uot;

While pleased with his current success, Young has loftier goals in mind, he said. &uot;I want to get to and win the state and regional tournaments so we can go to the national tournament.&uot;