FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Natchez High Bulldogs came away with a very respectable third-place finish at the 2001 Holiday Hoops Classic at Bud Walton Arena with a 53-49 win over Victory Christian of Tulsa, Okla., Saturday night.

Chris Logan led Natchez (15-3) with 15 points, including four-of-eight from three-point land.

Burton Broudy had 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting and had seven rebounds.

&uot;Tonight I was hitting my shots,&uot; Broudy said. &uot;I felt that I played good defense and rebounding when I wasn’t hitting my shots.&uot;

Je’Kel Foster added 11 points and hit three of six three-pointers. He also had eight rebounds.

Natchez had 16 points off turnovers and 12 second-chance points in the contest.

Despite the loss, Victory Christian (3-4) was 20-of-44 from the field for nearly 46 percent, and hit six of seven free throws.

The Bulldogs were 21-of-50 for 42 percent from the field, but just 4-of-9 from the free-throw line.

Natchez jumped out to a 30-21 halftime lead. Victory Christian tried to rally in the second half, but came up a little short.

&uot;I felt we played pretty well,&uot; Broudy said. &uot;Everyone contributed well.&uot;

Natchez High used a seven-man rotation for the third-place game.

Vasshun Newborne had seven points and four boards. Derek Jarvis had six points and seven boards.

Broudy later said the Bulldogs felt great about playing in a big-time tournament.

&uot;I believe the guys enjoyed playing in it. I enjoyed playing it,&uot; he said. &uot;It was a good experience. We had to step it up a notch.&uot;

Natchez High’s varsity boys next play at Warren Central in a rescheduled game Friday afternoon following the B-team game which starts at 1 p.m.