When it comes to basketball and getting ready for the stretch run of a season, Natchez High head coach Mary Irving is all business.

And that’s the order of the day right now &045; the Lady Bulldogs are getting ready for the Division 4-5A tournament and will go in as the No. 1 seed.

But things are a little different. Irving, a member of the Mississippi coaches’ Hall of Fame, is not only trying to get the Lady Bulldogs primed for the playoffs &045; she’s also trying to get over a stomach virus that put her in the hospital two weeks ago.

&uot;Each day is better than the other,&uot; said Irving, whose team sealed the No. 1 seed thanks to a Warren Central loss Saturday. &uot;I’m taking my time with everything. My girls and my assistant coaches are doing great and are working with me. It’s going pretty good for me.&uot;

Irving first missed the Lady Bulldogs’ win over Clinton back on Jan. 17 after coming down with the virus. She missed the next game at Amite County before checking into the hospital two days later due to dehydration.

The next day the Lady Bulldogs posted a crucial win over Vicksburg at home on Jan. 24. All the while assistants Sue Johnson and Steve McClatchy took over for Irving to get the team through a tough stretch of schedule.

And that left Irving in unfamiliar territory.

&uot;It’s hard to describe it,&uot; she said. &uot;I’ve never been in this situation before. I had to lie there and visualize and see the action in my mind. It was awesome, really.&uot;

Johnson and McClatchy didn’t give the team too much difference. The Lady Bulldogs stayed steady with their press from the guards and pounded out points from the inside from Crystal L. Brown, Deliqua Drake and Sharika Hargrave.

&uot;We had to adjust to the other coaches because they’re kind of different, but they all want to win,&uot; NHS guard Karmethia Mazique said. &uot;They have different opinions about different things.&uot;

Irving returned for the Lady Bulldogs’ loss to No. 14 Callaway, a game Mazique said hurt because the Lady Bulldogs didn’t play as well as they could have played.

That game, however, was a non-division contest as compared to Friday’s game at Clinton, which the Lady Bulldogs won convincingly for their first road win in division.

The win clinched at least a tie for the title, and Vicksburg’s win over WC clinched it. The Lady Bulldogs now visit Jefferson County Tuesday and host Brookhaven Friday before hosting next week’s division tournament.

And in the meantime, Irving isn’t going to take anything lightly any more.

&uot;Any time I go to the doctor or toward the hospital, that means I have no other choice,&uot; Irving said. &uot;No other choice. I’m not a person that lets too much get me down. Of course, God always has the last say-so. I just thank Him it wasn’t worse than it was. I have to give Him all the praise.&uot;

Adam Daigle

is sports editor of The Natchez Democrat. You can reach him at (601) 445-3632 or by e-mail at

adam.daigle@natchezdemocrat.com.