NATCHEZ &8212; When all else fails, Natchez High&8217;s Lady Bulldogs resort just to playing solid defense.

That may carry them throughout the season, but on a night in which turnovers, fouls and wide-open players on offense not getting the ball were too prevalent for their coach to stand, they resorted to that tenacious defense.

It worked at the beginning and worked at the end, and the Lady Bulldogs came away 55-42 winners over Wilkinson County Tuesday for their first win of the season.

&8220;I&8217;m going to tell you &8212; we&8217;re going to put it together,&8221; NHS head coach Sue Johnson said. &8220;Each game we are improving. It&8217;s still early, but we will put it together. We made a lot of turnovers, a lot of fouls, and a lot of places we were flat out-hustled. If we can keep that intensity the whole game, we&8217;ll be all right. It&8217;s going to come with time.&8221;

The win gave the Lady Bulldogs (1-3) something to build on with a crop of returners at guard but two freshmen playing down on the block. And it took an extra effort in the fourth quarter after Wilkinson County shaved a 21-point lead at the end of the third quarter down to six late in the fourth.

But just as the game went in the first quarter, the Lady Bulldogs picked up the intensity in their zone press to put the game away and survive a 15-2 Wilkinson County run.

&8220;They couldn&8217;t handle our press,&8221; guard Miracle Calcote said. &8220;We were moving to the ball and moving our feet. We were filling the (passing) lanes. Everybody was moving to the ball, and we just got to playing good defense. We kind of got lazy and were just playing bad, but we got out of it and starting playing.&8221;

The Lady Wildcats got the deficit down to seven mostly by Kim Griffin going to the line and sinking free throws. The senior standout had 21 points for the game but sank eight free throws &8212; seven in that 15-2 run &8212; that helped bring her team back in the game.

She hit two at the 1:59 mark that cut it to 47-40, and Ebony Anthony hit one of two at the 1:25 mark that got the deficit to six.

Then the Lady Bulldogs went back into their pressure defense that set the tone early for the game, and Kedra Chatman put in a layup after Calcote came up with the steal and hit her with a pass to take back the momentum and put the lead at 50-41 with 53 seconds left.

&8220;I&8217;ve got to take my hat off to Woodville,&8221; Johnson said. &8220;They did not give up. They have a very scrappy bunch, and we need to incorporate a lot of what we saw in them. I&8217;m still proud that we held on and pulled it out.&8221;

The Lady Wildcats showed heart down the stretch after struggling early against the Lady Bulldogs&8217; press. And it happened almost at the start as they were on the receiving end of a 15-0 run to end the first quarter.

Not before they were called for a 10-second backcourt violation. Wilkinson County trailed 20-4 by the time the second quarter started.

&8220;We&8217;re not playing as a team right now &8212; we&8217;re playing as a bunch of individuals,&8221; Wilkinson County head coach Edwin White said. &8220;It&8217;s just we&8217;re trying to find some chemistry. We made a lot of turnovers. I don&8217;t know how many, but somewhere in the 30s &8212; maybe more.&8221;

The Lady Bulldogs got the lead to 30-9 late in the second quarter when Erica Jackson hit the second of two free throws, and Wilkinson put up five points before the half was up for a 30-14 lead.

Natchez put up a run in the third when Calcote picked up a steal and hit Chatman on a pass for a layup for a 37-16 lead.