FAYETTE &045; For three quarters, the Lady Bulldogs struggled to leave behind Jefferson County.

At the end of the third, the score was just 38-30 in favor of Natchez. Then the Lady Bulldogs’ full-court pressure finally took effect and Natchez cruised to a 58-39 victory. Natchez outscored Jefferson County 18-9 in the final period.

Ke’Airra Jones was a big part of that final push. She scored three baskets during a 14-4 Natchez run in the third and fourth quarters that sealed the victory. Most of the Lady Bulldogs’ points during that run came from defensive play that led to easy transition opportunities at the other end.

&uot;Towards the end we played good, solid defense and started getting some turnovers,&uot; Jones said.

Natchez never trailed in the game, building a 12-6 lead after the first quarter and then expanding it to as many as eight points early in the second.

But the Lady Bulldogs got into serious foul trouble late in the second half and had more trouble early in the first. That allowed the Lady Tigers to climb back into the game, getting as close as 24-23 early in the third.

The Lady Bulldogs turned on the gas and started moving out again, using a suffocating defense that made just getting across halfcourt a difficult proposition for Jefferson County. Natchez had a 38-30 lead by the end of the third and continued expanding the lead throughout the fourth.

&uot;In the fourth (the defense started working),&uot; Natchez head coach Sue Johnson said. &uot;It wasn’t working too good before that. With this rivalry, you just throw the records out. We knew it would be a battle tonight.&uot;

But even in victory Natchez showed plenty of room for improvement. The Lady Bulldog’s shooting, even close to the basket, was poor and they were called for too many fouls, at least in Johnson’s mind.

For Jefferson County, it may have been a case of simply not being able to match Natchez’ athleticism and depth. When the Lady Tigers’ Donnella Shorter took a break, the Lady Bulldogs’ advantage underneath was particularly glaring. Shorter had 16 points in the game to lead all scorers.

&uot;We hustled, but they just outhustled us,&uot; Jefferson County head coach Flora McKnight said. &uot;My girls work hard and stay focused, but we got a little unraveled in the fourth by their defense.&uot;

NHS boys 68, Jefferson 38

The Natchez boys didn’t want to be known as the team that lost to Jefferson County.

They made that clear with a statement-making 68-38 win over the Tigers Tuesday night.

&uot;I think we moved a step forward, not a step back,&uot; Natchez’s Jason Bruce said. &uot;We played a good game. It got a little sloppy in the fourth, but it was a good game.&uot;

Natchez built a 18-12 first quarter lead when Rodney Gray nailed two free-throws with seconds remaining in the quarter.

The Bulldogs continued to expand that lead in the second, going on a 15-2 run that straddled the quarters and gave Natchez a 27-12 lead. Jefferson County wouldn’t close the gap to single digits again in the game.

The Bulldogs’ defense was the difference in the game, making life hard for the Tiger guards and giving Natchez plenty of easy fast breaks.

&uot;Our man-to-man defense did a real good job in the second half,&uot; Bruce said.

Natchez had a 56-24 lead at the end of the third.