With the score tied 21-21 at halftime, Ferriday High freshman Monique Jones told her teammates they weren’t going to lose to Vidalia for the third straight time this year.

So Jones went out and scored 13 of her 18 points in the second half and led the Lady Trojans to a 57-54 win over the Lady Vikings in the Natchez High Hoops Classic Friday.

&uot;I knew we weren’t going to go down,&uot; Jones said. &uot;There’s no way we were going to lose three straight to them.&uot;

Both teams are now 1-1 in the tournament.

The contest was sloppily played in the first half, as Ferriday totaled 11 turnovers to nine for Vidalia.

The Lady Trojans hit 3 of 8 field goals over the first two quarters, while the Lady Vikings made 9 of 30.

&uot;That’s what happens when you play three tough games back to back,&uot; said Ferriday coach Lisa Abron. &uot;Vidalia has a real good team and we just had to keep working hard.&uot;

With Vidalia leading 21-18 with seconds remaining, Jones dribbled to her left across half court and threw up a shot off balance while being closely guarded. The shot swished the net to make the score 21-21.

&uot;When I hit that shot, I knew we were back in the game,&uot; Jones said.

Ferriday then went on a 17-4 run, as Vidalia hit a basket in the opening seconds of the third period, but didn’t score again until the 3:18 mark.

Jones hit a 3-pointer and added two field goals in the run.

But Vidalia battled back and this time it was Natalie McGraw who drew nothing but net at the buzzer, from just past NBA 3-point range to cut the Lady Trojan lead to 42-39.

Ferriday’s LaShawnda Pryor hit two straight basket as the Lady Trojans jumped ahead 49-41.

But Vidalia’s Natalie McGraw hit two straight baskets to bring the Vikings back to within 51-49 and Brendy Ellis tied it with 3:06 remaining with a basket.

Both teams traded baskets before Ferriday’s Latesha Cain made two shots under the goal to complete the scoring.

Fatigue led to several turnovers and misses on easy shots in the final three minutes.

&uot;I was tired, but I knew I had to suck it up,&uot; Jones said. &uot;I think we wanted it more.&uot;

Jessica Griggs followed Jones with 12 points. McGraw paced Vidalia with 20 points, followed by Ellis with 17.

Vidalia’s girls face Jefferson County today at 4 p.m., while Ferriday’s girls meet Natchez at 7 p.m.