NATCHEZ &8212; There have been more lineup changes with the Natchez High Lady Bulldogs, and this time they hope everything finally clicks.

Because when it didn&8217;t, it was time to evaluate everything. The team started out the season trying to find chemistry underneath the basket with freshmen posts Alia Franks and Ashley Morrison. Then Kedria Chatman moved to point guard with speedy Ke&8217;Airra Jones going to the wing.

Now Jennifer Jackson has taken over the duties at point with Chatman going to the other wing to better suit the team&8217;s two best scorers. And it may have finally clicked &8212; the Lady Bulldogs won two games at the O&8217;Bannon tournament before falling to Mound Bayou JFK in the finals.

They will host Franklin County tonight.

&8220;They played their hearts out,&8221; said NHS head coach Sue Johnson, whose club snapped a five-game losing streak and won for the first time in nearly a month. &8220;I guess they just got tired of losing. They were a little more focused, blocked out more, hustled harder and played better defense. I think everything is kind of sinking in what they&8217;re supposed to do. They&8217;re getting more experienced each game, and it&8217;s paying off.&8221;

The move at point, Johnson noted, may be the best for everyone although it puts Jackson &8212; a sophomore &8212; at the helm of running the offense. Chatman came up big scoring in games at O&8217;Bannon, while Jones&8217; point total tapered off a bit.

But Jackson is better at delivering the ball in the offense, whereas Chatman and Jones often were forced to create their own shots as point guard.

&8220;(Chatman) works well at either position,&8221; Johnson said. &8220;Sometimes she has to get the guard rest. Jennifer is doing a good job. She&8217;s looking to complement her players. She&8217;s looking to create shots for other people. When she sees the shot, she&8217;ll take it. But she&8217;s not looking to score. She&8217;s getting there, but she&8217;s still young.&8221;

It&8217;s taken some of the pressure off Jones to score out of transition, although the speedy juinor&8217;s point totals were down at the tournament. The talented junior had six points against Eudora and five against JFK.

&8220;Ke&8217;Airra is not having a good season right now,&8221; Johnson said. &8220;People are getting used to what she does. They&8217;re waiting on her. She&8217;s still trying to plow through (the lane). We&8217;re trying to give her a different angle. She&8217;s just got to calm herself down and get into the rhythm, and she&8217;ll be all right.&8221;

Briarfield at Tensas Academy

ST. JOSEPH &8212; There&8217;s a win streak on the line for the Lady Chiefs &8212; at least 20 district wins dating back to the 2002-03 season &8212; and it&8217;s back on the line tonight with the start of District 7-A play.

The Lady Chiefs host Briarfield and will have a full roster. Tabitha Howard and Jordan Lentz practiced with the team Monday after missing both games at the WCCA Shootout last week.

&8220;Briarfield will probably &8212; and not to take anything away from the rest of the teams &8212; be one of our bigger tests in the district,&8221; Tensas head coach Chuck Bauerle said. &8220;They&8217;ve got a good team. We&8217;re ready to play district. I really think we are. We missed having Tabi, but we played two games to keep us in shape to get ready for district. We&8217;re looking forward to it.&8221;

This is the final season for the team&8217;s crop of seniors who have been together since losing only twice in district three seasons ago &8212; both to Huntington &8212; before going 10-0 each of the last two seasons.

Coaches again agreed not to play a district tournament, so it puts added emphasis on each district game. And even if the Lady Chiefs struggle shooting as they did at WCCA, there&8217;s no one worrying too much about it.

So far it&8217;s been defense, and defense carried the way in both of those games.

&8220;I think after seeing the girls play all year and really being concerned sometimes with the offense, we&8217;ve really been consistent on our defense all year long,&8221; Bauerle said. &8220;We&8217;ve held a lot of teams under 35 points. That&8217;s really been our consistency all year. I&8217;ve mixed in more zone than I have in recent years, but the zone has worked really well.&8221;