From

Staff reports

HATTIESBURG &8212; Despite trailing through out the first half, the Natchez High School Bulldogs got a late Christmas present in the form of a 66-54 victory over South Pike.

The Bulldogs got off to a slow start in the first quarter, and were outscored by South Pike 19-11.

The Bulldog offense found a spark in the second quarter, putting up 18 second-quarter points, but it was not enough as Natchez trailed South Pike 36-29 at the half.

&8220;I think we may have had too much Christmas and a long bus ride, but our guys played tough and battled through it in the second half,&8221; said Natchez head coach Mike Martin.

In the third quarter the Bulldog offense put 16 points on the scoreboard, while their defense held South Pike to just nine third quarter points to tie the game 45-45 heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Bulldog defense remained consistent, only allowing South Pike nine fourth-quarter points, while the Natchez offense put the game out of reach, scoring 21 points in the final quarter to win the game 21-9.

The Bulldogs were led in scoring by Jason Bruce and Lorenzo Chatman, each scoring 15 points in the victorious effort.

Chatman said his 15-point performance was a season high for him in the scoring category.

&8220;We got off to a slow start at first so we had to turn it up in the second half,&8221; Chatman said.

&8220;We were just a little tired at first, but we played tough defense.&8221;

The Bulldogs will take on Forrest County at 4 p.m. today as the tournament continues.