HATTIESBURG — The Natchez High Bulldogs hung right with one of the top teams in Class 5A for two quarters Tuesday at the Hattiesburg Holiday Classic.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, it was a four-quarter game.

Starkville outscored Natchez 48-24 in the first and third quarters and it led to a 72-54 win.

Natchez outscored Starkville 30-24 in the second and fourth quarters, but it wasn’t nearly enough to get the Bulldogs back into the game.

It was the second consecutive loss in the tournament for Natchez and it dropped their record to 8-8.

The Bulldogs lost to host school Hattiesburg on Monday by the score of 59-55.

Brandon Holden was the only Natchez player to score in double figures against Starkville, as he dropped in 17 points.

Joel Davis added nine points for the Bulldogs while Jeremy McMorris scored eight.

Natchez plays its final game in the tournament at 3 p.m. today against Oak Grove.

Starkville girls 53, Natchez 52

The Natchez High Lady Bulldogs made a gallant comeback in the second half, but it fell just short against Starkville.

Natchez trailed 31-22 at halftime, but came back in the second half.

They cut the lead to 41-36 at the end of the third quarter, and tied the game late in the fourth.

However, Starkville took a one-point lead in the final minute.

Natchez had a chance to tie the game and send it to overtime, but missed a free throw in the final seconds to seal their one-point loss.

The loss spoiled a spectacular performance by Keosha Bradley, who scored 29 points for the Lady Bulldogs.

Anastasia Hutchins chipped in with 11 points in the losing effort.

Kierra Jones led Starkville with 20 points, while Kala Williams scored 12 points.

Natchez High wraps up play in the Hattiesburg Holiday Classic by playing Prentiss at 10:30 a.m. today.

Ferriday girls 62, Tensas 29

Ferriday needed little effort to defeat Tensas Parish High school in the Sicily Island Tournament Tuesday.

But the Lady Trojans put forth their best game anyway, more than doubling Tensas’s score to move on to the championship game.

“We set out a personal goal to play with much more intensity than we have in the past, starting with yesterday’s game (a 67-15 win against Vidalia),” said Ferriday coach Lisa Abron. “We wanted to keep our momentum going today, and we did a good job of that.”

Atasia Banks scored 19 and Jalessia Davis added 18 for the Lady Trojans, who put up double-digits in all but the first quarter.

Ferriday will take on Block, which won its semifinal 53-42, today.

“We’re looking forward to the championship,” Abron said. “It’s always a good rivalry between us.”

Vidalia boys 75,

Franklin Parish 69

Vidalia used a second-quarter press to defeat Franklin Parish and move on to the finals of the Sicily Island Tournament Tuesday night.

The Vikings scored 21 points in the second quarter and another 21 in the fourth to defeat Franklin, which lagged in the second half.

“It was kind of like a seesaw back and forth,” Vidalia coach Damus Smith said. “In that second quarter, we began to play better defense. In order to counter what they were doing, we had to apply a little more pressure.”

Torrey Dixon scored 26 and Gary Stewart scored 24 for the Vikings. Quartrell Thomas added 15 points.

Vidalia will take on Sicily Island in the championship game at 8 p.m. today.

Bogue Chitto boys 68,

Cathedral 35

Cathedral could only stay with Bogue Chitto for a quarter before falling way behind Tuesday night.

After just a 6-point deficit, the Green Wave lagged by 13 points at the half before Bogue Chitto’s 26-point third quarter put the game away.

“Impatience against their press and too many bad decisions, bad passes, created easy points for them,” Cathedral coach Peter Arnold said. “That’s what turned the game in the second quarter into the third.”

Arnold said after scoring the first four points of the second half, the Green Wave began to rush their shots, barely making any.

No Cathedral players scored in double digits. Collin Hammons and Russell Goodman both scored 8 on the way to the Green Wave’s 12th loss.

Justin London and Michael Harris scored 15 points a piece for Bogue Chitto.