NATCHEZ &8212; The river rivalry quickly became a route.

Natchez jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the game&8217;s opening minutes, built a double-digit lead in the first quarter and led by as many as 30 points in the fourth quarter of Friday night&8217;s 61-37 victory over Vidalia.

The victory was the second in as many nights for the Bulldogs (3-2), who welcomed their football players to basketball practice for the first time earlier this week.

&8220;I&8217;m feeling more confident as every game goes by,&8221; senior Michael Chatman said.

With good reason, considering Natchez appeared to be in midseason form with its 1-2-2 halfcourt trap.

The Bulldogs (3-2) extended their pressure defense more than 30 feet from the basket, which allowed them to jump into Vidalia&8217;s passing lanes and disrupt the Vikings&8217; offensive rhythm.

&8220;That&8217;s the whole idea with the trap,&8221; Chatman said.

Vidalia (1-1) played without three starters, as 6-foot-5 center Josh Upchurch sat out with hip and shin injuries, guard Demack Bates was sidelined with an ankle injury and Brandon Hawkins was sick. C.J. Cage, a reserve, also missed the game because of illness.

With four key players missing, Vidalia coach Robert Sanders was pleased with his team&8217;s effort.

&8220;It wasn&8217;t as bad as last year,&8221; Sanders said. &8220;Even though we won (Thursday), I think we played better against Natchez, even though we lost.&8221;

Both teams started slugglishly &8212; Vidalia beat Monterey on Thursday and Natchez defeated Franklin County &8212; and the teams&8217; fatigue was evident early.

Natchez center Dekeedrien Jackson scored putbacks on back-to-back possessions to build a 12-3 lead with 4:15 to go in the first quarter.

Chatman then scored 11 points in the second quarter, and he scored on a transition layup with 1:01 to play before halftime to build a 32-16 lead for Natchez&8217;s biggest lead of the half.

&8220;Basically, I knew I wasn&8217;t going to play long, so I just went ahead and played,&8221; said Chatman, who led Natchez with 16 points. &8220;I rotated better on defense tonight.&8221;