Strong foul shooting and defense down the stretch were enough to help the Natchez High Bulldogs reclaim the lead and ultimately defeat Warren Central, 61-57.

After leading by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, two separate 10-0 runs by the Vikings gave Warren Central a five-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but a three-point play by Cameron Logan coupled with a traveling violation against Mario Luckett gave the Bulldogs the lead back.

Jason Bruce scored 26 to lead Natchez High (9-15), and Luckett led the Vikings (13-15) with 23.

“Coach just told me to be the leader I needed to be and lead the team,” Bruce said. “We won with defense. I’ve got to give it up to the defense, they did a great job at the end.”

Warren Central head coach Jesse Johnson said the Vikings had beaten themselves on the night.

“The difference was poor decision making,” Johnson said. “I’m not getting good play from my point guards right now. We picked a bad time of the year to start playing poorly. This is three straight games we’ve played bad now.”

Luckett opened the game with an alley-oop dunk, but that would be the only highlight for Warren Central over the next two and a half quarters as Natchez built a 40-27 lead midway through the third quarter.

The Vikings then went on a 26-8 run through much of the fourth quarter to take a 53-48 lead before the Bulldogs finally retook control.

DeShawn Griggs pitched in 10 for Natchez, and Jeremy Smith and Shane Ester each scored in double figures for the Vikings.

With the win, the Bulldogs enter the district tournament next week on a two-game winning streak after losing seven in a row. Bruce said the team would be ready when they take on Wingfield, who has beaten them by double-digits in each of their previous meetings this season.

“We feel real good,” Bruce said. “We’ve been working hard. Any team can be beaten if you play smart and play as a team.”

Natchez High girls 45, Warren Central 42

A third quarter flurry of points helped Natchez High take a 45-42 win over the Lady Vikings.

After trailing through much of the game, the Lady Bulldogs went on a 13-2 run to close the third quarter and then held off a late charge from Warren Central to take the win.

Keosha Bradley and Ke’Airra Jones led Natchez (11-13) with 13 and 12 points, respectively, and SLa’Kayla Caples led Warren Central (20-8) with 24 points.

Trailing 30-27 late in the third quarter, Bradley sunk a three-pointer to tie the game and a steal and lay-up by Jones gave the Lady Bulldogs their first lead since early in the second quarter.

Lady Bulldog head coach Sue Johnson said her team had found a way to win.

“We found the working combination,” she said. “It worked tonight, but it may not work next time. We’ve just got to keep working and looking for the combination that works.”