VICKSBURG — After being outscored in each of the first three quarters, it appeared that the Natchez High School boys basketball team did not have a comeback in them on the road at Warren Central.

But somehow, Natchez High would not give up. And the Bulldogs’ defense and determination came through when it mattered the most — in the fourth quarter. They would end up outscoring Warren Central 21-11 to take a dramatic 55-53 win over the Vikings Tuesday night.

The Bulldogs got off to a slow start on their end of the court and trailed the Vikings 10-6 by the end of the first quarter. They trailed at halftime 23-18 and 42-34 at the end of the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Natchez High’s defensive intensity and pressure picked up and that allowed the Bulldogs to not only get back in the game, but win it at the end. Ryan Lewis hit the game-winning shot with 2.5 seconds and led them in scoring with 12 points while Quincy Washington had 11 points and Gary Woods added 10 points.

Natchez High (1-0) travels to Woodville to take on Wilkinson County on Thursday.

McComb 73, Wilkinson County 50

MCCOMB — Wilkinson County responded from a sluggish start to get back in the game at McComb, but the Tigers had too much firepower as they pulled away in the second half to take a 23-point win over the Wildcats Tuesday night.

McComb jumped out to an 18-9 lead after one quarter of play, but Wilkinson County outscored the Tigers 20-17 in the second quarter to trail by just six points at halftime. Unfortunately, the Wildcats could not keep the momentum going in the second half.

The Tigers put up 22 points in the third quarter and 16 in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats, on the other hand, managed just 13 points in the third quarter and a mere eight points in the final quarter.

Philip Foreman led Wilkinson County (0-1) with 15 points and Delaney Ross had 12 points. The Wildcats host Natchez High on Thursday.