Natchez wins in overtime

Published 12:01 am Wednesday, January 14, 2009

NATCHEZ — What was expected to be an easy win for Natchez High didn’t exactly turn out that way Tuesday night against Warren Central.

However, a win is a win even if the game ends up going into overtime. And the Bulldogs had to do just that to secure a 65-59 win over a tougher-than-expected Vikings team.

Neither team was able to get a big lead in this game. Natchez High led 9-6 at the end of the first quarter and kept its three-point lead at halftime. Warren Central tied the game at 33 at the end of the third quarter thanks to a 16-13 advantage.

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Both teams scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime, but the Bulldogs prevailed by outscoring the Vikings 13-7.

James Reed led Natchez High (11-9) with a game-high 19 points and Jeremy McMorris added 13 points. Leading the way for Warren Central (3-14) were Dino Harris with 15 points and Malcolm Harper with 12 points.

Trinity Episcopal 77,

Chamberlain-Hunt 49

PORT GIBSON — Brandon Daggs scored 18 points and R.J. Fleming added 12 points to lead the Saints to an impressive victory over the Wildcats Tuesday night to remain undefeated in MPSA District 3-AA.

Trinity Episcopal, the new No. 1 in Class AA, was taking on a Chamberlain-Hunt player that was minus its seven-foot center. And the Saints took advantage of that, especially in the first half en route to a commanding 42-16 halftime lead.

Daggs and Fleming were not the only players for the Saints to score in double figures. Kent King and Giovanni Dent each scored 10 points as Trinity Episcopal improved to 17-4 overall and 3-0 in district play. Uzi Uzuegbunam led Chamberlain-Hunt with 16 points.

WCCA 65, Tensas Academy 39

ST. JOSEPH, La. — Todd Gonda led four WCCA players in double figures with 19 points as the Rams rolled to a 26-point win over the Chiefs in an MPSA District 6-A game Tuesday night.

Tensas Academy fell behind early and wasn’t able to mount a comeback. The Chiefs trailed 19-7 after one quarter of play and, even though their offense played better in the second quarter, their defense did not. And by the time halftime had arrived, they were down 41-20.

Luke Whitaker scored 16 points while Tip McKenzie had 14 points and Christopher Houghton added 11 points for WCCA (10-5, 3-1). J.T. James led Tensas Academy with a game-high 20 points.

West Lincoln 70, Cathedral 51

NATCHEZ — Four West Lincoln players ended up in double figures as the Bears used a big second quarter to defeat the Green Wave Tuesday night and stay atop the Region 8-1A standings.

Led by Aaron Collins with 16 points and Jeremie Richardson with 12 points, West Lincoln (11-8, 5-1) had its way with Cathedral in the first half. The Bears jumped out to a 19-9 lead at the end of the first quarter, but it was the second quarter that proved to be key for them as they outscored the Green Wave 26-8 on their way to a 45-17 halftime lead.

With West Lincoln’s starters on the bench in the fourth quarter, Cathedral (4-14, 2-4) outscored the Bears 22-9, but it was not nearly enough. Carl Hammitte led the Green Wave with 16 points and Collin Hammons had 10 points.

Monterey 41, Harrisonburg 33

MONTEREY, La. — Ross Lipsey scored nine points and Shawn McClenahan added eight points as the Wolves defeated the Bulldogs Tuesday night for their 10th win of the season.

The key to Monterey’s win was the first and third quarters, in which the Wolves (10-14) outscored Harrisonburg by five points in each of those quarters. Justin Duncan led the Bulldogs with a game-high 11 points.

Crystal Springs 72, Jefferson County 52

FAYETTE — Christopher Lawrence scored 22 points and Roman Lofton had 15 points as the visiting Tigers defeated the host Tigers Tuesday night.

Crystal Springs jumped out to an early 22-12 lead and from that point on made sure that Jefferson County would not get back in the game. That was evident in the third quarter when Crystal Springs scored 21 points while Jefferson County (4-9) managed just eight points.

Davion Noble led Jefferson County with 21 points and Terry Tenner chipped in with 12 points.