WESSON &8212; The pressure was all on boys&8217; head coach Chris Jordan&8217;s shoulders.

A late sub-in as head coach for Franklin County&8217;s Lady Bulldogs for Charles Moore, Jordan had to coach perhaps his only girls&8217; game this season and wonder what if &8212; could the Lady Bulldogs lose their first game under his tutelage?

Not to worry. This team knows what to do when it steps on the floor, and it was the Lady Bulldogs&8217; defense throughout the course of the game that was the big reason why they stayed undefeated with a 58-33 lashing of Wilkinson County at Co-Lin&8217;s Mullen Gym.

&8220;He just told us to go out there and do what we do best,&8221; said Franklin senior Victoria Hunt, who finished with 24 points and nine rebounds. &8220;I think it would have been better if he was here, though. But Coach Jordan did a good job coaching us tonight. We don&8217;t really brag about (our record). We just thank God we&8217;ve got players who play up to their potential.&8221;

If there was any significant pressure, it didn&8217;t linger past halftime. That&8217;s when the Lady Bulldogs pulled away from Wilkinson County with their half-court man, and they went into a full-court man in the fourth quarter to really put the game away.

That aspect of it, Jordan noted, is easy to coach. Moore, who was unable to make the game due to the death of his mother, coached that part of their game.

&8220;I know we had a little more quickness than they did,&8221; Jordan said. &8220;We did a good job in the man to man. They played hard and played as a team. I enjoyed watching them. I don&8217;t have a whole lot to do with them. They&8217;ll play and show good leadership.&8221;

The full-court man at the start of the fourth quarter put the game away, and the Lady Wildcats struggled handling the pressure. Franklin County went on a 10-0 run &8212; all but two from Victoria Hunt &8212; that ended when Hunt caught a pass off a steal from Shareka Hunt for a 48-27 lead at the 5:05 mark.

Tyeshia Lee ended the run with a 3-pointer for Wilkinson County, but Shareka Hunt came up with the ball off a Wilkinson County in-bounds and put in an easy layup. Victoria Hunt then hit two free throws for a 52-30 lead at the 4:02 mark.

&8220;I think it could have been better, though,&8221; Victoria Hunt said. &8220;We started out and could have done better than what we did. We knew (we could press).&8221;

Wilkinson County had just eight points in the quarter and six after Ebony Anthony put in a layup to start the quarter. Lee hit another 3-pointer that trimmed the deficit to 52-33, but the Lady Wildcats couldn&8217;t get another shot in.

Turnovers hurt them in the fourth, but they were marred by missed shots from close range for most of the game.

&8220;We&8217;re just playing terrible,&8221; Wilkinson head coach Edwin White said. &8220;The last five games we&8217;ve played unorganized. It&8217;s just something internal going on with the team. We&8217;ve got to pull it together.

&8220;Don&8217;t get me wrong, Franklin County is a real good team, patient, makes real good passes and doesn&8217;t make many turnovers. They&8217;re playing really well right now.&8221;

Shareka Hunt helped the Lady Bulldogs pull away at the end of the third quarter when they stayed in a half-court man and pressured the ball well. She hit three of four free throws over a stretch of 40 seconds that put the lead at 34-20, and she came up with a loose ball later and turned it into a layup for a 36-22 lead.

Despite foul trouble early, Shareka Hunt finished with 17 points.