MEADVILLE &045; A first quarter full of missed defensive assignments and missed shots doomed the Natchez girls to a road loss.

&uot;It’s just the same old thing,&uot; Natchez head coach Sue Johnson said. &uot;We’re missing layups, turning the ball over and missing assignments on defense.&uot;

Franklin County (7-1), one of the best teams in the area, beat Natchez (4-5) 58-50 Saturday night in a battle of the Bulldogs.

But Natchez had its chances to win. The play of Wennifer Noble, who led Natchez with 14 points off the bench, helped the team get back in the game. Her basket with 2:12 left in the fourth cut the Franklin County lead to 53-48, the closest Natchez got in the entire second half.

In the end Natchez didn’t have the firepower to continue their run and win the game. Franklin County held on to its lead and scored the final four points of the game, all on free throws by Shareka Hunt.

&uot;We came back on them, so I’m proud of that,&uot; Johnson said. &uot;We fought back to get in it. We’re going to be all right.&uot;

Natchez fell behind 20-8 in the first quarter, carving out a deficit that would prove to be its undoing. Victoria Hunt had eight points in the first quarter, taking advantage of Natchez miscues for easy buckets.

Franklin County owes its victory to Victoria and Shareka Hunt, who combined to score 40 points in the game.

&uot;Vicky had a good first half, she really kept us in it,&uot; Franklin County head coach Charles Moore said. &uot;Shareka has a lot of length on her. For a ninth-grader, she’s stepping up.

Noble has been starting some games, but said she told Johnson she prefers to come off the bench. Judging by Saturday’s performance, it suits her well.

&uot;I just feel better coming off the bench,&uot; Noble said.

In addition to her offense, Noble provided a spark on defense with her athleticism and long frame. It was the increased defensive intensity brought by Noble and her teammates that allowed them to get back in the game in the fourth quarter.