Natchez High’s varsity girls and varsity boys basketball teams swept a doubleheader from Jim Hill of Jackson in District 6-5A action.

In the varsity boys game, the Bulldogs built a big halftime lead and hung on for a 79-69 win.

Jamal Bouldin came out firing in the first quarter, scoring 14 of his team-high 26 points and hitting four of his six three-pointers in the first quarter.

&uot;My coach told me to come out shooting with confidence,&uot; he said. &uot;Our team came out shooting with confidence.&uot;

Je’Kel Foster added 22 points and 13 rebounds and Vasshun Newborne had 17 points.

&uot;I just went out and played hard,&uot; Foster said. &uot;We came out more aggressively than we usually do.&uot;

Natchez (8-1, 2-0) built a 49-28 lead at halftime, but Jim Hill’s scoring duo of Mario Jointer and Korey Moore got the Tigers back in the game.

Jointer finished with a game-high 31 points and connected on three three-pointers. Moore had 24 points.

&uot;We came out a little slow in the third quarter,&uot; Foster said. &uot;but we picked it up and got our defense going.&uot;

Jim Hill (5-3, 1-1) cut Natchez’s lead to eight late in the game, but it wasn’t enough.

&uot;Coach said we had to win the fourth quarter to win the game,&uot; Bouldin said.

In the girls contest, the Lady Bulldogs defeated the Lady Tigers 58-42.

Crystal Sylvester had a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds and Crystal Brown added 17 points and eight rebounds despite early foul trouble to lead the Lady Bulldogs.

&uot;That’s the way they are,&uot; Lady Bulldogs head coach Mary Irving said. &uot;When some of our players aren’t shooting well, others pick up their game. We played well in certain areas.&uot;

&uot;The girls shot well and got some crucial rebounds,&uot; she added. &uot;That’s what kept us in the ball game

Natchez (7-4, 1-1) used a full-court press defense for much of the game to keep Jim Hill (2-6, 0-2) off-balance.

&uot;We didn’t execute it as well as we should have, but we kept it going and it slowed them down a little bit,&uot; Irving said. &uot;We’ve got to pick up our defense.&uot;

Besides slowing down the Lady Tigers, Natchez’s defense forced 23 turnovers. Jim Hill tried the same defense in the second half, but with little success.

The Lady Tigers never led in the ball game, although they had their chances in the second quarter when they cut the Lady Bulldogs’ lead to one several times.

Shelita Burns led Jim Hill with a double-double of her own with 20 point and 10 rebounds, but got little help from her teammates.

Natchez next plays at Forest Hill in Jackson starting at 5 p.m. next Tuesday.