Erica Bennett left Jackson Murrah as a sophomore and joined the Natchez High basketball team last year.

Jackson Murrah’s girls won the Class 5A state championship for the second straight year last month, but Bennett has no regrets about making the move to Natchez to be closer to her mother.

&uot;When I was up there, I wasn’t the best player that I could have been,&uot; said the 6-foot-3 Lady Bulldog center. &uot;I don’t think I would have learned as much up there as I did down here.&uot;

Bennett was a big reason the Lady Bulldogs went undefeated in district and advanced to the first round of South State before losing to Meridian 54-50.

The Lady Bulldogs finished 20-12 this past season.

Bennett averaged 14.3 points and 11.4 rebounds to earn The Natchez Democrat All-Metro Girls Player of the Year.

&uot;I was always tall, but I always wanted to play football like my brother Melvin did,&uot; Bennett said.

Bennett moved from Natchez to Jackson where she played basketball at Murrah in 7th grade, ninth grade and in the 10th grade.

&uot;Last year I really didn’t know how to approach the game,&uot; she said. &uot;I worked a lot on shooting off the backboard and had a lot of people work with me.&uot;

Bennett has gotten offers from Alcorn State, Tougaloo and Copiah-Lincoln Commuity College.

&uot;I don’t know what I’m going to do yet, but I would like to keep playing basketball,&uot; she said..