HATTIESBURG — With a close game heading into the third quarter against Oak Grove, a few big plays by the Warriors spelled doom for Natchez High School as it lost 45-19 in the Bulldogs’ final game of the season.

Oak Grove led 10-0 at the half, then scored 28 points in the third quarter while the Bulldogs could only mange 13. Both teams scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter, with NHS falling short in its two-point conversion attempt.

“It’s the same old story. We played in spurts,” NHS head coach Lance Reed said.

“We had a tough third quarter defensively. We gave up some easy touchdowns that were the difference in the ball game. We gave up a couple of big plays and had some busted coverages, and I think they broke a big run on us.”

And those are things his team, which has had trouble scoring consistently, simply couldn’t afford to do, Reed said.

“You usually want to make teams drive the ball to score,” Reed said. “If teams can score on one play, it makes it easy for that team. Giving up big plays is something you can’t have when you’re trying to win ball games.”

NHS’s first score of the night came when Cody Tucker caught an 85-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Derrian Johnson. Later in the third, Johnson scored on a 3-yard carry.

Tucker caught a 5-yard pass from Johnson for a touchdown in the fourth.

NHS tallied 373 yards of total offense — 218 on the ground and 155 in the air — and Johnson led in both rushing and passing.

He had 152 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown, and he was 7-for-21 with 155 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions in passing.

Tucker had three catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. Charles Bates led defensively with seven tackles and two assists. Xavier Green had four tackles, one tackle for a loss, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

NHS finished its season 6-5 overall, 2-5 in MHSAA Region 3-6A.