NATCHEZ &045; There’s a budding chemistry between Natchez High post players Delequa Drake and Jasmine Woods that’s becoming fun to watch.

But it’s not just them, head coach Sue Johnson said. Everything &045; as she preached all along to anyone who would listen &045; is finally starting to come together.

Now winners of five straight, the Lady Bulldogs avenged an earlier loss at Franklin County Friday with a 72-68 win at home over a good Class 3A team. It’s all about confidence with Johnson’s team, and beating a team after losing the first time sure does plenty in that department.

&uot;I always believe everything happens for a reason,&uot; said Johnson, in her first year as head coach. &uot;From Day 1 I’ve been telling you I’m not worried and we’ll get there. It’s going to come with time. You just have to be patient and keep that confidence. This is exactly the time we want to turn that corner. All the games before the district tournament is just getting us ready.

&uot;They’re starting to believe in what me and Coach (Yvonne) Chatman already know. That’s all they needed &045; confidence.&uot;

The biggest confidence boost may have been Drake and Woods inside. The two seniors have mostly alternated nights where one would put up big numbers and the other would struggle, but they put it together against Franklin with a combined 28 points.

As the game went on, Natchez (11-8) kept going more and more inside in the half-court offense. If the shot didn’t go in, either of the two was there for the putback.

The tandem finally clicked.

&uot;Coach kept on preaching to us in practice &045; when me and Jaz start clicking, you never know what we can do out there,&uot; said Drake, who had 16 points. &uot;Despite having a few turnovers, everything turned out great. I give a lot of credit to our guards for getting us the ball.&uot;

Natchez found success down low early in the game, but the NHS Lady Bulldogs pulled away at the end of the third quarter after both teams traded lead seven times up until the midway point in the third.

Woods scored on a putback with 3:20 left in the third that gave her team a 47-46 lead, but Franklin (14-4) answered with a basket and later two free throws from Shalenia Wilcher, but Ke’Airra Jones’ basket the next trip down lit a fire in Natchez.

The bucket sparked an 8-0 run to finish the quarter, and Woods tossed in a bucket with four seconds left for a 55-50 Natchez High lead heading into the fourth quarter.

&uot;I thought they did a really good job on us,&uot; Franklin County head coach Charles Moore said. &uot;They got a lot of putbacks that we didn’t get. I thought it was the difference in the game. We tried a few different (defenses). We stuck mainly with man to man. They hurt us inside. (Drake) and (Woods) did a really good job, and they did a good job of lobbing the ball and getting that entry pass to them.&uot;

Natchez stayed hot at the start of the fourth quarter and eventually got the lead to 10 just over three minutes in. Jones &045; who finished with a game-high 20 points &045; got two layups to start it off, and Wennifer Noble tossed in a bucket from just inside the 3-point line with 6:14 left for a 61-52 lead.

&uot;I’m really proud of them,&uot; Johnson said. &uot;They hit the boards like I knew they could have been doing. I told the guards they were making some good passes in there. They had the right amount of lob and velocity on it, and they got it in the right spots. A few times they got it in the wrong spots, but that’ll come with practice. I can live with mistakes, but it doesn’t settle too good with me when you make the same mistakes over and over.&uot;

Noble scored on a putback with 4:03 left that gave Natchez its biggest lead at 66-53, but Franklin didn’t quit. Ashley Weathersby and Victoria Hunt each put in baskets, and Wilcher’s basket at the 1:43 mark ignited a 6-0 run that Weathersby finished to trim the lead to 69-64 with 1:02 left.

That’s when Drake tossed in a bucket with 46 seconds left, and Jones hit one of two free throws with 23 seconds left to seal it.

&uot;You just have to stay focused,&uot; Drake said. &uot;I just tried to keep my mind on the goal that we have, which is state. You have to take it one game at a time, and I’m taking it one play at a time, one game at a time. It’s time to step up. If we don’t do it now, it may be never. We may not be able to play on this high school floor again.&uot;

Franklin controlled the game early in the first quarter and held a 17-13 lead heading into the second. The score was locked at 33 at half, but Franklin got a five-point lead in the third when Victoria Hunt put in consecutive buckets for a 44-39 lead with 5:38 left.

Victoria Hunt led Franklin with 20 points.