NATCHEZ &8212; Natchez girls coach Sue Johnson sat in her small office just a two-handed chest pass from the court and contemplated the question.

Was there any explanation for the Bulldogs&8217; sluggishness in Friday&8217;s 49-31 loss to Callaway?

With her chin propped in her left hand, a clearly despondent Johnson offered little insight into her team&8217;s lack of emotion.

&8220;We were in it,&8221; she said. &8220;We just had a letdown &8212; a mental letdown.&8221;

Despite poor shooting and offensive execution, the Lady Bulldogs (5-12) trailed only 27-25 after three quarters. Callaway then opened the fourth quarter with a 14-0 spurt to put the game out of reach.

&8220;In games that we&8217;re in, we always have a mental letdown, and something happens,&8221; the Natchez coach said. &8220;I&8217;ve got to find out what it is that&8217;s happening. It&8217;s not that the opponent is making a big adjustment. We stop doing what was working for us.

&8220;We just flat-out stopped. I&8217;ve got to figure out why.&8221;

Callaway point guard Jessica Collins sleepwalked through the first three quarters &8212; just like everyone else on the court &8212; but she finally awoke in the fourth. She scored eight points in the opening two minutes of the final period, going on a 17-point outburst in the final period.

&8220;She finally did what she needs to do for us,&8221; Callaway coach Maxine Johnson said. &8220;She finally started what she does for us &8212; penetrate and dish or shoot the shot.&8221;

Collins led all scorers with 17 points, while Sabrina Holden and Kiana James added nine apiece for the Lady Chargers (15-3). Ke&8217;Airra Jones scored 10 points for Natchez before fouling out.

Both teams used passive zone defenses in the first half, which led to stagnant offenses and sloppy play.

Callaway&8217;s defense became more aggressive in the second half, as CHS transformed its passive 1-2-2 zone into a trapping scheme.

&8220;We wanted to do that in the first half,&8221; Callaway&8217;s Johnson said. &8220;That&8217;s basically why we play the 1-2-2. They just didn&8217;t do it in the first half.&8221;

Callaway jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the game&8217;s first 3:11, but Natchez responded with an 8-1 spurt to end the quarter.

A similar scenario unfolded in the second stanza, as Callaway built a 19-10 lead only watch Natchez close the half with a 10-2 run.