The top-ranked Natchez High Bulldogs look to rebound from a tough loss on the road when they host Provine in a key Division 6-5A game tonight at the Natchez High Gym.

On Nov. 15, Natchez defeated Provine in Jackson 75-56 in what was the district opener for the Bulldogs.

Natchez is currently 21-3 overall and 4-1 in Division 6-5A.

&uot;This will determine who will be the No. 1 seed in the district,&uot; said junior center Derek Jarvis.

Members of the Bulldogs team expect the Rams to give them a much closer game than during their first meeting.

&uot;They know what we’re going to do,&uot; said senior guard Jamal Bouldin. &uot;We’re going to have to do something different. They know who’s going to shoot it and who’s going down on the post.&uot;

&uot;All the teams are stepping up,&uot; said junior forward Vasshun Newborne. &uot;We’ve just got to be poised and be patient.&uot;

Natchez is coming off a stunning 77-75 overtime loss on Tuesday to Jim Hill in Jackson.

Bouldin said the game was a wake-up call for the Bulldogs.

&uot;We don’t care about being at the top,&uot; he said. &uot;We just want to win. Our coach (Mike Martin) said it was like a learning experience.&uot;

Senior forward Nakarrie Thompson said the game was a hard one to lose and the team &uot;needs to win this game to hold the No. 1 seed.&uot;

Jarvis said the loss will help the team out for the district tournament in February.

&uot;It was better for us to lose Tuesday than in the district tournament in February because our season would be over,&uot; he said.

All four players said the team learned something from Tuesday night’s loss.

&uot;We learned that no matter what the situation is, never give up,&uot; Newborne said. &uot;We have to stay focused and get the job done.&uot;

&uot;We didn’t keep our composure. We were rushing our passes,&uot; Bouldin said. &uot;They were outrunning us. We’ve got to run the plays coach tells us to run.&uot;

&uot;We’ve got to keep our heads together,&uot; Jarvis said. &uot;We’ve got to got our offense going. The defense has got to step up.&uot;

Thompson said another reason the game is so important is &uot;we haven’t beat Provine two times in one season in I don’t know how long. They’re on a bit of a winning streak, so a win over them would be nice.&uot;

The boys varsity boys game will follow the girls game at 6 p.m.