NATCHEZ — Jacquerra Williams and Keyana Miller scored 13 points each to lead for Natchez High players in double figures as the Lady Bulldogs defeated the Warren Central Lady Vikings 61-41 Tuesday night.

And it wasn’t just the balanced scoring that was a big factor in Natchez’s win.

“Defense. That’s the key. If we continue to play defense, we’ll continue to win,” Lady Bulldogs head coach Sue Johnson said.

And that was evident throughout the first three quarters — and in particular the second quarter. Natchez High (2-0) had a 19-12 lead over Warren Central after one quarter of play. Yet it was the following eight minutes in which the Lady Bulldogs took over the game thanks to their swarming defense.

For the second straight quarter, Natchez High scored 18 points. However, the Lady Vikings managed to score just four points and trailed by 22 points at halftime. The Lady Bulldogs extended their lead to 27 points by the end of the third quarter.

Even though Warren Central outscored Natchez High 15-8 in the fourth quarter, it had way too big of a deficit to overcome.

Ricarla Shotwell added 12 points and Ashley Minor chipped in with 10 points for the Lady Bulldogs. Michelle Jones led the Lady Vikings with a game-high 15 points and Sh’qulla Neal had 10 points.

Natchez High plays hosts to Wilkinson County Thursday at 6 p.m.

Monterey girls 49, Forest 20

MONTEREY, La. — In a match-up of former longtime district rivals, the Monterey Lady Wolves dominated Forest on both ends of the court in the first round as they soundly defeated the Lady Bulldogs Tuesday night.

With Ellen Bairnsfather, Jessica McNeil and Kendall Lipsey leading the way, Monterey (3-0) took control of this game early and really never let up. At the end of the first quarter, the Lady Wolves led Forest 18-4. It wasn’t much better for the Lady Bulldogs in the second quarter against a tenacious Monterey defense. By halftime, Monterey had a commanding 31-12 lead.

The Lady Wolves struggled to get shots to fall in the third quarter and were outscored by the Lady Bulldogs 6-4, but they still led by 17 points at the end of the quarter. The fourth quarter, however, was more like the first quarter as Monterey put the game away with a 14-2 advantage.

Bairnsfather finished with a game-high 15 points while McNeil added 12 points and Lipsey scored eight points for the Lady Wolves.

Next up for Monterey is the Grace Christian Tournament in Alexandria, La., which begins on Thursday.

Warren Central boys 77, Natchez High 39

NATCHEZ — Natchez High head coach Mike Martin probably knew his Bulldogs would have their hands full with a good Warren Central team Tuesday night, especially with several players still playing for the football team.

And the Vikings proved that to be correct with a 38-point victory.

Led by sophomore guard and co-captain Kourey Davis and senior guard Jeremey Harper, the Vikings jumped out to a double-digit lead and never looked back as they rolled past the Bulldogs to improve to 2-0.

Warren Central took control of the game in the early stages of the game and led Natchez High 20-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Vikings weren’t able to add to their lead in the second quarter, but a big third quarter in which they outscored the Bulldogs 23-9 put the game away.

Davis led all scorers with a game-high 26 points and Harper finished with 14 points. Gerald Glass contributed with 10 points.

Jonathan Griffin led Natchez High (0-1) with 13 points and Devante Green chipped in with eight points. The Bulldogs will look for their first win of the season when they host Wilkinson County Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Brookhaven Academy girls 56, ACCS 32

BROOKHAVEN — A young Adams County Christian Lady Rebels took on one of the premier girls basketball teams in the state in the Brookhaven Academy Lady Cougars Tuesday night.

ACCS held its own with a very experienced Brookhaven Academy team in the first quarter, but the Lady Cougars had too much firepower for the Lady Rebels to keep up with en route to a 24-point victory.

The Lady Rebels trailed by just five points at the end of the first quarter, but the Lady Cougars turned up the defensive pressure in the second quarter. ACCS was outscored by Brookhaven Academy 14-4 in that quarter and was down by 15 points at halftime.

With four players eventually scoring double figures by game’s end, the Lady Cougars continued to add to their lead throughout the second half. Terah Winborne led them with 14 points while Anna Katelyn Mangold finished with 12 points. Anna Lofton and Laura Beth Wright each ended up with 10 points.

ACCS (2-1) was led by Brandis White with 11 points. The Lady Rebels will look to get back on track when they host Amite School Center Thursday at 6 p.m.