NATCHEZ &045; Michael Chatman and Rodney Gray did not play the first time the Natchez High Bulldogs took on the Wilkinson County Wildcats down in Woodville on Nov. 11, a stunning 81-74 win by the Wildcats.

On Saturday night at the Natchez High Gym, they both made up for it in a big way.

Chatman scored a game-high 20 points, most of them after the first quarter, and Gray had 12 points, 11 rebounds and five steals to lead the Bulldogs to a 70-52 win over the Wildcats.

&uot;We came out and the first thing was revenge,&uot; Chatman said. &uot;I didn’t play in the first game, so I came back and made up for missing the game.&uot;

Charles Cothern got off to a good start for Natchez with seven points in the first quarter while Wilkinson County got three-pointers from Gemall Andrews and Douglas Dixon as the Bulldogs took a 20-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.

&uot;The first quarter, I had to pump my team up,&uot; Chatman said. &uot;They weren’t as pumped up as I was.&uot;

The second quarter Chatman took over, scoring 11 of his 13 first-half points in that quarter while the Bulldogs’ defense put the pressure on the Wildcats. Natchez outscored Wilkinson County 17-7 to take a commanding 37-22 lead at halftime.

&uot;I think they played a tight, intense 1-3-1 zone that we weren’t prepared for,&uot; Wildcats’ first-year Arthur Clark said. &uot;They also played a hard, physical game. We also had the inability to get the ball inside.&uot;

Even though Chatman cooled down a bit in the second half, Gray picked up his game on both ends of the court, scoring with jump shots and putbacks. He dominated the boards and his quick hands led to fast-break opportunities.

&uot;He didn’t play the first game, either,&uot; Chatman said. &uot;So we said we was going to come back and play hard and win this for our team.&uot;

A lack of an inside game forced Wilkinson County to start taking three-pointers in the second half. By the time they started making them, the outcome of the game had been decided. The Wildcats converted on eight of 22 from behind the arc.

The Bulldogs as a team dominated the boards on both ends of the court as they outrebounded the Wildcats 43-24.

Natchez head coach Mike Martin unloaded his bench in the fourth quarter with the game well in hand, with many of them getting in the scoring column. The Bulldogs led by as many as 23 points in that quarter.

&uot;We’re still searching for some chemistry,&uot; Clark said. &uot;They stepped it up defensively. Our problem is trying to find out what defense works for us and trying to find the personnel. We have to play a certain way.&uot;