Both of Natchez’s varsity teams got off to slow starts against Forest Hill Friday only to come away with big wins in Division 6-5A action at the Natchez High Gym.

In the varsity boys game, the second-ranked Bulldogs needed a big second half to pull away from the Rebels for a 92-71 win.

Natchez (21-2, 4-0) actually trailed Forest Hill 13-12 midway through the first quarter before going on an 8-0 run to take a seven-point lead.

Forest Hill, however, would not go away and trailed by only 12 points, 42-30, at halftime.

&uot;I thought we played well in the first half and better in the second half,&uot; Vasshun Newborne said. &uot;Coach (Mike Martin) told me that I needed to raise my game higher than I have.&uot;

Natchez pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring Forest Hill (10-13, 1-4) 29-20 to take a 21-point lead at the end of the quarter.

&uot;We had good support from the bench tonight,&uot; Newborne said.

Among those bench players was Derek Jarvis, who finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds.

Jamal Bouldin had 20 points, including four three-pointers, and Je’Kel Foster had 13 points and eight rebounds for Natchez.

In the varsity girls game, the Lady Bulldogs used a big second quarter en route to a come-from-behind 65-42 win over the Lady Rebels.

Natchez (14-6, 3-1), which trailed 15-12 to a Forest Hill team which came in to the contest with only three wins in 22 games, took control by outscoring the Lady Rebels 17-4 to take a 29-19 halftime lead.

&uot;We had a lot of missed shots in the first quarter that we normally make,&uot; said Lady Bulldogs head coach Mary Irving.

&uot;They faced reality,&uot; she said. &uot;They started scoring and rallied together.&uot;

Crystal Brown had 15 of her game-high 23 points and 10 of her 17 rebounds in the first half to lead Natchez. She also went 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.

&uot;She came to life late in the third quarter,&uot; Irving said.

Chrystal Sylvester, normally one of the starters on the Lady Bulldogs team, came off the bench to score 20 points, grab six rebounds and make 6-of-7 free throws.

Suprena Davis and Victoria Johnston had 10 points each to lead Forest Hill (3-20, 1-4). Davis also had 12 rebounds.

Natchez stays in Division 6-5A action when it plays at Jim Hill in Jackson at 6 p.m. Tuesday.