NATCHEZ &8212; With a once-promising season going down the tubes right before her eyes, Ferriday head coach Lisa Abron can&8217;t help but wonder.

What in the world is going on?

Tuesday&8217;s 45-39 loss at Natchez High put the Lady Trojans losers of four of their last five games heading into Friday&8217;s regular season final against Madison Parish. A team that entered District 4-2A play with a 20-1 mark is now hoping for an upset Friday night to get a chance at a tie-breaker.

But the way things ended Tuesday night, that may be a tough route to go. Standout center Jasmine Upchurch got into foul trouble before fouling out, and the intensity level dropped a notch as a result.

&8220;We&8217;ve been able to play without her in some games,&8221; Abron said. &8220;Tonight we lost some intensity in there. Maybe we just seem ready for the season to be over. Our chances of making the playoffs are slim and none, and I think they&8217;ve pretty much given up. I hate to say that, but it&8217;s kind of obvious.&8221;

The Lady Trojans (2-3, 21-5) still have a chance at forcing a tie-breaker to get into the playoffs with an upset on Friday, or. they&8217;ll have to wait to see if they land a wild card spot in the Class 2A playoffs.

If not, it&8217;ll be the first time in Abron&8217;s 13 years as head coach the Lady Trojans haven&8217;t made the playoffs.

&8220;I think when we really need a game, we play so hard we make a lot of mistakes,&8221; FHS guard Kiawanna McDowell said. &8220;We make a whole lot of mistakes, and the mistakes we make cause them to get a basket. We&8217;ve still got a chance at the playoffs. This wasn&8217;t an important game for us to win, but it was good to work on some stuff for Madison.&8221;

Upchurch got into foul trouble midway through the third quarter when she picked up her fourth foul at the 4:34 mark and Natchez holding a 29-27 lead. Abron immediately sent her to the bench for the rest of the quarter, and from there the Lady Bulldogs built up a 35-30 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Yet when Upchurch was called for her fifth with 1:28 left in the game, the Lady Trojans lost their momentum. Natchez (8-15) led 39-37 at the time and immediately went inside to freshman post Alia Frank, who hit two buckets from there on out.

&8220;She wasn&8217;t a bad defender,&8221; said Frank, who finished with 15 points. &8220;She had a good attitude and showed good sportsmanship. They didn&8217;t have any defense (down low) after she went out, and I started scoring.&8221;

Upchurch played well for most of the fourth quarter with four fouls, even when the Lady Bulldogs got it into Frank in the post and she couldn&8217;t convert on a basket. The big Ferriday freshman finished the game with 10 points despite missing a handful of shots under the basket in that fourth quarter.

Upchurch had three fouls in the first half.

&8220;That&8217;s what did it &8212; she got in foul trouble, and we had nobody who could step up down low,&8221; Abron said. &8220;That was just her being young. She got the first three fouls she shouldn&8217;t have gotten &8212; coming-over-the-back fouls. I kind of gambled when I put her back in early in the third quarter. She got a quick one as soon as I put her in, and I had to take her out.&8221;

It allowed Frank to flourish down low in the halfcourt, and the arrival of the freshman&8217;s abilities down low is a welcome sight for a team that&8217;s had its share of struggles this season. Ferriday cut it to 35-34 on Upchurch&8217;s only bucket of the half &8212; courtesy of a long pass from Jameca Garrison &8212; before Frank tossed in a basket for a three-point lead.

Ferriday led 25-19 at halftime before Natchez High went on a 7-0 run thanks to two buckets from Frank and a 3-pointer from Skyler Chaney to take a 26-25 lead at the 6:17 mark.

&8220;She&8217;s getting with the program,&8221; Natchez High head coach Sue Johnson said. &8220;I think all this varsity play is giving her experience. It&8217;s just like any young person &8212; you&8217;ve just got to keep at it until it sinks in.&8221;

Keidra Chatman led the Lady Bulldogs with 17 points. Ronesha Charles led Ferriday with 11.