NATCHEZ — It has been 24 years since Morgantown Middle School’s gym floor was hardwood instead of carpet.

But since the gym went through some major renovations in November of 2012, Morgantown has been able to make some drastic changes to its school’s basketball program.

Carpeting decorated with the lines of a basketball court was put in place when Morgantown was just an elementary school in 1989, but when Morgantown transformed into a middle school, having a sports program came along with it.

And playing their basketball games at Robert Lewis Magnet School didn’t really feel much like home for the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs at Morgantown. Boys head basketball coach Rick Bellar said the decision to change the gym came not long after Morgantown upgraded to a middle school.

“When they decided to make this a middle school, they made plans to remodel the gym, and they’ve done a lot of work so we could play our games here,” Bellar said.

Along with a new floor centered with a big “M” for Morgantown, the school received a new set of bleachers, a new royal blue paint job, new rims and a new scoreboard.

Work on the gym was finished this past spring, allowing Morgantown to play its first true home game Nov. 14.

Bellar said the Bulldogs are undefeated at home so far, and he gives some credit to having a new gym floor on which to play.

“They have that ownership feeling, that ‘This is our house’ type of vibe instead of having to travel and play someplace else,” Bellar said. “We haven’t lost a game here yet. We’ve had two home games here so far, and we’re 6-0.”

Bellar said he’s hoping for the restoration of the gym’s locker rooms at some point.

Though Bellar is just a first-year basketball coach at Morgantown, he’s been teaching and coaching football at the school for five years, and the new gym will benefit more than just the basketball teams.

“It’s been a great facility for not only sports for everything else involved,” he said. “It’s always good to have a place here you could meet with all the children at one time for programs. The community and everybody are able to come in for after-school programs as well. It’s larger than our auditorium, so it’s nice.”