No one may have hit the panic button late in the season when the Franklin County Lady Bulldogs hit a swoon in their schedule.

They were sitting pretty in the Division 7-3A standings before losing at Natchez High and dropping divisional games to Wilkinson County and Hazlehurst. But when they got into the tournament and emerged as division champs, no one hit the playback button, either.

Now it’s time to try to keep a good thing going as the Lady Bulldogs open the Class 3A South State tournament against host Newton County at 7:30 p.m. today as playoff action resumes in the MHSAA.

The top three teams will advance to the state tournament.

&uot;I think it helped us out a lot to know we could do well in a tournament situation,&uot; Franklin head coach Charles Moore said. &uot;This was the first tournament championship these girls have won. They know they are capable of winning on back-to-back nights like that. We hit that hard part of our season with Hazlehurst and Wilkinson, and they just had to learn how to respond to playing tough teams in tough environments.&uot;

It’s the second time back to South State for the Lady Bulldogs, who made the playoffs last season after struggling the previous two years. They opened with a win over Magee last year before opening South State against powerhouse Choctaw Central and falling to the eventual state champion.

Now Choctaw Central is on the opposite side of the bracket, as is Crystal Springs. But there’s still no lucky draw for a Franklin County team that’s like everyone else at this point with hopes of making it to The Big House in Jackson.

They’ll be accompanied by three others from 7-3A &045; Port Gibson, Wilkinson County and Hazlehurst. Choctaw Central, the favorite to win it again this year, opens with Hazlehurst.

&uot;Maybe not hungrier, but a little more experienced,&uot; Moore said of his club. &uot;Last time we had to play Choctaw at Choctaw, and this year we drew Newton County at Newton County.&uot;

The challenge for Franklin is a solid Newton County team that hammered Collins 72-52 to open the playoffs. The Lady Cougars lost in the 5-3A tournament final to Choctaw Central.

The Lady Cougars may have some height advantage inside, but the Lady Bulldogs may match up with their guards.

&uot;They’re well-coached and like to shoot the 3 real well,&uot; Moore said. &uot;They’ve got a really good point guard who shoots the 3 real well, and they’ve got a big kid inside who shoots the ball real well from about 10 feet in. It’ll be a challenge to defend them.&uot;

Wilkinson girls vs. SE Lauderdale

The draw couldn’t have been better for the Lady Wildcats, who are looking up at the top half of the bracket where powerhouse teams Choctaw Central and Crystal Springs lie.

So they’ll take on Southeast Lauderdale in the first round at 8:30 p.m. today at Newton County with the hopes of taking it another step further after taking a tumble in the Division 7-3A tournament by coming out as the No. 4 seed.

&uot;We got the best draw,&uot; Wilkinson County head coach Edwin White said. &uot;Everybody was sitting up there talking about us losing, but we really got the best draw. We had some problems with some personal problems we had to work out, but we came back against West Marion and got everything straight.&uot;

The win over West Marion was just the shot in the arm the team needed after stumbling in the tournament following its regular season championship.

Now the Wildcats will take on a team that White said is similar in matchup. Southeast Lauderdale was the team that knocked out Wilkinson in the first round of the playoffs last season.

&uot;Sometimes you’ve got to get into a slump to pull yourself through and realize you’re not as good as you think you are,&uot; White said. &uot;I think it’ll boil down to who wants the game most. It’s going to be a game of wits. It’ll probably come down to coaching &045; who will out-coach the other coach.&uot;

Franklin boys host South State

The Bulldogs weren’t slowed by their loss in the 7-3A final as they opened the playoffs with a solid win over Greene County, and now they get to battle for a berth at The Big House on their home floor.

The Bulldogs will play the opening game against Crystal Springs at 4 p.m. today.