Last month, Natchez High’s boys jumped ahead of top-rated Jackson Murrah at home, leading 38-22 at halftime.

But Murrah fought back and overtook the Bulldogs 69-62.

It was a tough loss for Natchez, but it was still a valuable lesson to the Bulldog players that they could play with the upper elite.

So I walk upstairs after talking to some of the players in the locker room to hear one guy complaining about the coaching.

Of course, this could have been anywhere — easily anywhere in the Miss-Lou.

That didn’t bother me because fans are going to vent after a tough loss like that.

And parents and friends are going to stand around and listen because they are looking for some reason besides the other team was better or just outplayed our kids when it counted.

Fast forward to last Tuesday night.

Natchez defeats Forest Hill 77-57. This after Provine, considered one of the premier teams in the state, loses to Jim Hill in the first round of the Division 6-5A Tournament and had its season end that night.

The Bulldogs looked impressive against a team that can take any team in the state to the wire.

Friday night, Natchez runs past Jim Hill 80-65, playing as hard as I’ve seen a Bulldog team play in a while.

The win gives the Bulldogs the division title, advancing them to a South State first round home contest against Gulfport on Tuesday.

It marks the eighth time in 11 years Natchez High advanced to South State, something very very few schools can claim.

So after both games Tuesday and Friday, I walk up the stairs to the lobby and the same fellow who was trying to get everyone worked up about the coaching is no where in sight either night.

I’m sure the next time Natchez loses, our finicky friend will be back, and people will listen.

People want to hear other people’s gripes. I guess it just makes things a little easier to deal with rather than accepting the fact our team didn’t do like they were supposed to or were just beaten by a better team.

And like I say, I don’t have a problem with that. It’s just when the same kind of people are not there to support the team or coaches, it goes to show that they are not true fans. They just like stirring up trouble.

The sad thing is that Natchez High’s basketball team has great fans and the parents are very supportive.

But it’s unfortunate that one person can be like that one bad apple.

Switching gears, the girls usually open South State play on Monday and the boys on Tuesday, but because Harrison Central’s boys and girls won their division, they will host on the same night. The Lady Bulldogs will now play Tuesday.

It does kind of take away from Natchez’s home support, however.

While the Natchez girls will be in Gulfport to play the Lady Red Rebels, the Natchez boys will be hosting the Gulfport boys, who lost to Harrison Central.

The Lady Bulldogs put up quite an effort against a good Provine team Friday in the girls finals before falling 69-60.

I don’t think many people were giving the Lady Bulldogs much of a chance, but they even had an opportunity to take the lead in the game with around four minutes remaining.

It would be an upset for the Lady Bulldogs to win at Harrison Central, but the Lady Red Rebels would do wise in not taking this team for granted. They’ll definitely push the home team to the limit.

Joey Martin is sports editor of The Democrat. He can be reached by calling 446-5172 ext. 232 or at joey.martin@natchezdemocrat.com.