The Natchez High Lady Bulldogs haven’t been off to a fast start this season.

At 4-5, Natchez still has some time to make up ground and get to .500 for the season, but improvement has to start coming soon.

The Lady Bulldogs have the talent to match up with some of the best teams in the area and certainly have the depth.

With the inside duo of Jasmine Woods and Delequa Drake, Natchez has the firepower down low to match up with just about anybody. And outside, the Lady Bulldogs have a stable of guards with speed and talent in Brittney West, Candace Frye, Ke’Airra Jones, Miracle Calcote and Jasmine Williams.

The problem has been making sure the execution on the floor is at the same high level as the effort.

&uot;When it hits these girls that they have to do all the little things, it’ll be just like lightning,&uot; NHS head coach Sue Johnson said. &uot;Then we’ll start winning some of these close games. But they work hard. I can’t complain about that.&uot;

Those close games have been a sore spot for the Lady Bulldogs this season. Just in the past week, they have lost 58-51 to Vicksburg, 53-49 to Warren Central and 58-50 to Franklin County. In all three games, Natchez was close in the fourth quarter and had a chance to make a run and win the game.

That loss to Franklin County Saturday was telling. Take away a first quarter in which the Lady Bulldogs looked lost and allowed Franklin County to build a 20-8 lead. Natchez outscored Franklin 42-38 in the final three quarters.

For now, the Lady Bulldogs will go back to practice. Action in Division 6-5A won’t resume until after the first of the year.

&uot;It just takes some time,&uot; Johnson said. &uot;We’ll keep working on free throws, layups and defense, and it’ll sink in some day.&uot;

CATHOLIC RIVALRY &045; For two boys’ teams who have had their share of struggles this season, you wouldn’t have known it by the atmosphere Friday night at Cathedral.

Maybe that’s what happens when the Green Wave play St. Aloysius on the hardwood, and the outcome was definitely something to get people on their feet. Yet it was the Flashes who came out with a win, giving first-year head coach Drew McBrayer not only his first win with the boys but a crash course in what that rivalry is all about.

&uot;It was loud,&uot; said McBrayer, who left New Hope to coach both girls and boys at St. Al. &uot;This is the first time I’ve experienced this rivalry. It was definitely loud in there at times. It’s neat to be in that kind of situation.&uot;

Even with the loss, the Green Wave was able to take away plenty to build on this season. That was the division opener for both teams, and the Wave still has plenty of games left &045; including this Friday at home against Bogue Chitto.

&uot;We had a couple turnovers that hurt us real bad,&uot; said Matt Goss, who finished with 14 points. &uot;Everybody kind of tensed up (at the end), I guess you can say. Alex (Middleton) hit a couple of big 3-pointers, and everybody got fired up. We hit some really key baskets.&uot;

But what made the game interesting to watch was both teams really stepped it up and may have impressed themselves that they may be a good basketball team after all. The Flashes had their share of struggles up until Friday night as well, but when sophomore Chris Johnson came out firing from behind the 3-point line to get things started.

But Middleton followed in the second half to keep the Green Wave in it, and the Flashes knocked down the free throws at the end.

&uot;He’s been in a slump all year,&uot; McBrayer said. &uot;He does in practice. He’s got to learn how to shoot with confidence. We’ve shot free throws pretty well all year. Chase (Smith) hit some really big free throws late in the game. Marsh (Willis) is usually our best free-throw shooter, and he kind of fouled up on a couple of free throws at the end. But he’s young, and that’s part of it.&uot;

COMING BACK &045; The Adams Christian Rebels had a week many wouldn’t care to remember, up until Friday’s solid win over Amite School Center.

But it wasn’t all for poor play. The Rebels opened Monday with a loss at a good Tensas team and followed that up a day later with a loss at another good team in Chamberlain-Hunt.

But the Rebels played well at times against CHA, the surprise team in this area among MPSA schools this season. Outside of a second quarter when the Wildcats held a 21-9 advantage, the Rebels were competitive against a team that was undefeated until Saturday when it loss to Central Hinds.

&uot;We were down four at the end of the first quarter, and they came out in a zone,&uot; AC head coach Kyle Smith said. &uot;They really hit some shots in the second quarter. We actually came out a lot better in the third quarter and played pretty well. We came out and at least played with them a lot better. But they shot the ball pretty well.&uot;

TWO-MAN MACHINE &045; Gervoni Ware showed in Trinity’s win over Bowling Green Tuesday he’s become a serious scoring threat from the outside against teams who think they can throw a zone on the Saints to stop Stevan Ridley inside.

Ware finished Tuesday’s game with 37 points in the District 4-AA opener for the Saints, who held on for a 60-59 win over the Buccaneers. The Saints will resume district play this week with Oak Forest at home Friday and Columbia on the road Saturday.

&uot;They did a good job on (Ridley), and Stevan did a good job of recognizing that and giving the ball to Gervoni an setting screens for him,&uot; Trinity head coach David King said. &uot;Gervoni had a good game. We’ve got to get some more scoring outside, but Gervoni could be our go-to man on the perimeter. I thought for the most part we defended the best we could. That’s been our strength this year &045; defense.&uot;

MAKING HIS POINT &045; You wouldn’t have thought it afterward Friday night, but Jeremy Davis made his first start at point guard Friday night for the Green Wave.

The baseball standout who signed with Southern Miss went out for basketball this season and performed well enough to convince head coach Peter Arnold he may have found a home there. The team had struggled a bit finding a replacement for Russell Barmer, who was steady at the point last year as a senior.

&uot;It was his first start, and he did a fantastic job,&uot; Arnold said. &uot;He played some in the second half Tuesday. He did such a good job of running the team. I’m pretty sure he’s found a home right there.&uot;

Adam Daigle

contributed to this report.