NATCHEZ — Keosha Bradley’s father came from out of town to watch his daughter play basketball Friday night.

And Bradley put on a show for Dad and the audience at the Natchez High gymnasium, scoring 26 points in the Lady Bulldogs’ 59-45 victory against Jim Hill.

It just took Bradley a few minutes to get started.

“She was real excited,” said Natchez coach Sue Johnson. “She was real nervous and real tight — I don’t remember her hitting any 3s, and she missed some layups. But she still led the charge.”

Bradley was relatively quiet on the floor the first few minutes of play, but Ashley Martin, who scored 13 points against the Lady Tigers, was not.

She blocked two shots in a row and played solid defense to force three consecutive Tiger turnovers.

Then Bradley lit up with a blocked shot and two steals, sinking three free throws to end the first quarter with a 9-5 Natchez High lead.

Jim Hill kept up with the Lady Bulldogs through three quarters — they were down by 4 at the half and tied the game in the third quarter, but Natchez finally settled down in the last 10 minutes of the game to put the Lady Tigers away for the second time this season.

The win gives Natchez the top seed in the MHSAA 6-5A playoffs.

“In the beginning we were real anxious,” Johnson said. “This was a very important game, and to them it felt like pressure.

“But when they relaxed and got in the zone and started to play much better defense, we settled down and played our game.”

The Lady Bulldogs put up 20 points in the fourth quarter, including four by Jameka Watkins and five by Ashley Minor, who finished with 13 points in the game.

The game was physical, with players hitting the ground hard on both sides, something Johnson said is good this time of year.

“That kind of helps us, because (the games) are going to get more physical as we go on into playoffs,” she said.

Alia Frank did not play in the game because of disciplinary problems, and Johnson said she was glad the rest of the team stepped up in her absence.

“Without Alia we’re going to struggle, but they pulled through,” she said. “Bradley led the floor, she was still the captain on the team and I’m proud of her for hanging in there.”

The Lady Bulldogs are 16-8 on the season.1

Natchez boys 71, Jim Hill 62

A low-scoring third quarter for both teams proved to be the difference maker for Natchez High Friday night.

The Bulldogs held Jim Hill to just 4 points while scoring only 11 themselves, putting down tough defense to solidify the win.

Natchez was down by 2 points at the half, and coach David Haywood asked his team to step up.

“We just asked the team to come out and play a little harder, a little tougher,” he said. “That quarter gave our team the momentum we needed for the fourth.”

The Bulldogs put up 29 in the final eight minutes, and although they let the Tigers put some points on the board by getting in foul trouble, Haywood said didn’t mind much.

“We made some mistakes on defense, but that mostly came from everybody playing hard,” he said. “At times we were over-aggressive, letting them get into double-bonus. But as long as we’re aggressive, I’ll take those.”

Brandon Holden scored 15, Jeremy McMorris scored 14 and James Reed added 13 for the Bulldogs.

Natchez had nine total scorers.

“That’s when we’re at our best, when we’re scoring by committee,” Haywood said. “That came off our hustle on defense — it led to a lot of easy buckets.”

The Bulldogs improved to 13-10 on the season and are 3-3 in MHSAA 6-5A play.