NATCHEZ — Natchez guard Jadarious Ivory rushed down the court and tossed up a game-tying 3-pointer from the top of the key that rimmed out.

The rushed shot came at the buzzer of Natchez High School’s 55-52 loss to Provine High School in the opening round of the Region 6-5A tournament.

Natchez found itself in position to tie the game after Provine missed the front end on a one-and-one with approximately 20 seconds left.

Natchez coach David Haywood called a timeout and instructed his team to foul in the hopes of Provine not converting from the line.

Everything went according to plan, except the final shot.

“We got a shot at the end of the game but came up a little short,” Haywood said. “They executed everything I wanted after that timeout.”

Natchez was down 27-15 at the end of the first half, and a 11-2 run to start the third quarter kept the Bulldogs in the game.

Haywood said his team was frustrated by calls from the referees, and there were some bumps that wouldn’t go their way. Once the Bulldogs adjusted, they kept pace throughout the second half.

“I’ve got a young team,” Haywood said. “They adjusted well in the second half and came out with energy and made some shots.”

Natchez senior guard Tyran Newman led the team with 24 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers to cut Provine’s lead to three with under two minutes remaining.

Haywood said he counted on the maturity and ambition of his seniors in the final half of the game.

“I told them this week, ‘You’ve got 64 minutes left in your season, so you have to give it everything,” Haywood said. “(Newman) took that message to heart. He did a good job of making open shots and keeping us in the game.”

Elijah Hill led Natchez’s rebounding effort with five boards. Ivory cashed in seven points for the Bulldogs. Izzy Holmes finished with six.