No. 1 is becoming a theme with the Natchez Bulldogs.

The No. 1-ranked team earned the No. 1 seed in the Division 6-5A tournament with a 65-55 home win over Provine Friday.

&uot;Now that we’re the top the seed, we need to start playing our best,&uot; said freshman Dantrell Minor, who scored seven points off the bench. &uot;We’re playing with the big boys now. This is 5A.&uot;

That was obvious after a furious first quarter in which both teams made four three-pointers en-route to a 22-22 tie.

Natchez (22-3, 5-1) pulled away slightly in the second quarter, even though reserves played most of the period.

&uot;Our freshmen stepped up real hard,&uot; said center Vasshun Newborne, who finished with a game-high 20 points. &uot;They came in with a lot of intensity. That’s what we need off our bench.&uot;

The Bulldogs’ 35-31 halftime lead grew to 10 points in the third quarter when the Natchez defense held the Rams (7-16, 1-3) to only four points.

Provine’s Jeremy Young sank three three-pointers in the fourth quarter, but the Natchez lead was never threatened.

Jamal Bouldin scored 16 points and made four three-pointers for Natchez. Je’Kel Foster added 12 points and Nakarrie Thompson ripped down 11 boards.

The Lady Bulldogs did not fare as well with the Lady Rams, losing 57-51 in the girls varsity game.

&uot;We turned the ball over too many times. Our ball control was a mess,&uot; said Natchez coach Mary Irving. &uot;If you don’t play ball control, it defeats the purpose of playing.&uot;

After a 14-14 tie at the end of the first quarter, the Lady Bulldogs (14-8, 4-2) were scoreless for more than four minutes. The Lady Rams (19-5, 5-0) took advantage of the drought to build an eight-point lead that held for most of the game.

Chrystal Sylvester led natchez with 14 points and 10 rebounds, even though she sat most of the fourth quarter with four fouls. Crystal Brown added 12 points.

Natchez next hosts Franklin County Friday.