Whether you have a connection, an interest or if you’re just a casual observer, watching a team collapse in the state championship elicits an unpleasant feeling.

As Velma Jackson, the MHSAA 3A state champions, put a seal on its state championship with one flashy dunk after another against Aberdeen, I couldn’t help but feel for the Bulldogs, as the boys team was embarrassed 76-38 Friday afternoon. To get this far and to have to accept a blowout defeat in the state championship? Demoralizing doesn’t quite do it justice.

I felt embarrassed for them sitting courtside, but as both teams cleared the court, the Natchez Lady Bulldogs ran out their tunnel for warmups, and the excitement began to build in the building. You could feel it. You just knew the Lady Bulldogs were about to win their second straight state championship, but shortly after the tip, that same feeling I had watching Velma Jackson and Aberdeen arose, leaving me speechless in my seat.

One missed shot after another by one of the best players in the state, Zyaire Ewing, combined with one impressive play after another by West Jones’ Zan Ratcliffe, gave the Lady Mustangs a 17-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. Stunned, I kept repeating, “This can’t really be happening. Nobody dominates Natchez like this.”

Now, honestly, I was hoping to witness a good game, because I had such confidence in Natchez that I thought the Lady Bulldogs might run away with it. But after the first quarter, I started hoping for a close game for completely opposite reasons. I started to fear for these girls on the court, that they would have to experience the same heartache Aberdeen just recently suffered. Before sympathy could ever set in, the passion of Natchez High School fans pumped life into the arena. And that made all the difference.

After the second quarter, when Natchez was down 24-6, I paused and listened to the crowd behind me. Diehard Natchez fans were vocal, and I felt the pure emotional cry of four men behind me. Together, they offered steady encouragement.

Down 24-6, Ernesha Chatman put her hands on her hips near midcourt, as West Jones attempted free throws. One of those men behind me shouted, “We know you have heart. We know you do.”

So simple. So subtle. Yet so uplifting. It carried the message that, “Hey, we’ve been here before. We can make it out of this troublesome time. We believe in you.” That’s how fans are suppose to act, it’s what they’re suppose to bring to the table. The positive vibes behind me made it seem like these girls were not tackling history alone, and I believe they felt the support.

Chatman may have heard those words or she might not have — I tend to think she did because she looked up and gave a head nod immediately after those words were said — but her play on the court picked up immediately after. Skylar Morgan deservedly got the MVP for her incredible 13-point fourth quarter performance, but Chatman was my personal MVP of the game, a large part for the 11 points scored in the second quarter when the Lady Bulldogs seemed down and out. The way she blazed past defenders, was able to create her own shot off the dribble and sunk the most acrobatic shot attempts of the game gave Natchez a spark it desperately needed.

And then Kirdis Clark got going alongside her, draining open shots with the fearlessness of a champion. And as Morgan heated up in the fourth quarter, and Natchez eventually took a lead it would not forfeit, the Mississippi Coliseum reached a peak in excitement.

After Natchez took a six-point lead with two minutes to play in the game, one of those four men I spoke of was running behind me on the floor, going from one sideline to the next, hollering and giving other Natchez fans high fives.

Natchez High’s 74-66 victory against West Jones was not only the best girls basketball game I’ve ever seen, but it was one of the coolest moments I experienced in sports. The community bought into this team, showed up in Jackson to root them on and joined together to celebrate a historic moment for Natchez High School.

Thanks Lady Bulldogs for bringing us all together.