JACKSON &045; For much of the season the Jefferson County Tigers have stayed close with their opponents in the first half, only to have the third quarter be the determining factor in many of their losses.

That included a 54-36 loss to Wilkinson County in a Division 7-3A game on Dec. 17 in which the Tigers were outscored 21-3 in the third quarter after trailing by just four points at halftime.

That would not the case Tuesday afternoon as Jefferson County took advantage of a big second quarter and an even bigger third quarter as they defeated the Wildcats 64-55 at the Jackson Public Schools/Pepsi Holiday Classic.

&uot;The kids came out ready to limit the mistakes,&uot; Tigers head coach Marcus Walton said. &uot;We played better defensively and rebounded better. And we didn’t commit as many turnovers as we did at Wilkinson County.&uot;

Joseph Kemp and Kenneth Lowe gave Jefferson County (4-15) the inside presence the Tigers needed as they combined to score 39 points. Kemp led all scorers with 23 points and Lowe had 16 points.

&uot;Today we were able to establish Joseph and Kenneth early and that’s what kept us in the game,&uot; Walton said. &uot;Anytime we can get our inside presence going, that gives us a chance.&uot;

Wilkinson County (6-9) took a 16-12 lead after one quarter of play, but the Wildcats saw their lead disappear in the second quarter as the Tigers turned up the defensive pressure, forcing the Wildcats to take some tough shots and turn the ball over.

The result was a 19-8 advantage by Wilkinson County that gave the Wildcats a 31-24 lead &045; and this time they made that halftime lead stand.

But as Walton noted, the second quarter was very important in giving the Wildcats the momentum going into halftime, but the third quarter was even more important.

&uot;We were able to maintain some of the things that we did in the first and second quarters,&uot; Walton said. &uot;All the credit goes to the kids for staying focused. The third quarter was really the determining factor. The second quarter was big, but coming out after that was the key.&uot;

Natchez High 62, Richwood 51

LAFAYETTE, La. &045; Even with Richwood boasting two Division I signees, the Bulldogs played tight defense to claim a win over Richwood in the second day of the Sunkist Shootout.

The Bulldogs got tough defensively in the second quarter with a 16-7 edge to claim the lead at half 30-23 after trailing by two after one. They then outscored Richwood 12-10 in the third to lead 42-33 heading into the fourth quarter.

Terry Martin, a 6-3 guard who will play at Texas Tech, finished with 16 points. Kenneth Cooper, a 6-10 center who signed with Oklahoma State, had just eight points. Rodney Gray had 19 for Natchez, while Jeremy Houston had 17 as the Bulldogs had 40 of their points in the paint.

The Bulldogs (10-4) will play at 8 p.m. today against Teurlings.

Central Holmes 48, Huntington 43

LEXINGTON &045; The host Trojans took a 9-6 lead at the end of the first quarter and continued to increase its lead over the next two quarters before holding on in the fourth quarter for the win at the Central Holmes Tournament Tuesday afternoon.

North Pike 49, Cathedral 30

WESSON &045; North Pike erased a 13-10 deficit at the end of the first quarter with a strong second quarter, outscoring the Green Wave 16-2 for a 26-15 halftime lead and the Jaguars never looked back from there.

North Pike (4-9) then ended any thoughts of a Cathedral rally by outscoring the Green Wave (3-8) 15-8 in the third quarter.

Matt Goss led Cathedral with 10 points.

Riverfield 69, Tensas 35

BASTROP, La. &045; Riverfield (9-8) trailed Tensas (3-6) 15-12 at the end of the first quarter, but the Raiders took control of the game by outscoring the Chiefs 22-6 in the second quarter for a 13-point halftime lead. Jared Sehon led four Riverfield players in double figures with 16 points.

Tyler White and Matt Vinson led Tensas with 12 points each.