atchez High School head coach Alphaka Moore made a defensive adjustment that would open the door for the Lady Bulldogs to play for a second consecutive state championship.

In the Lady Bulldogs’ 71-51 win against Pearl in the MHSAA Class 5A semifinals, Moore switched to a 3-2 zone defense, putting three girls in the post, and telling her girls to allow Pearl’s guards to attempt shots without fouling them.

“I know when you go against a bigger team, fouls become more important than point,” Moore said. “When they were driving, they weren’t trying to score, they were trying to make us foul. So I told Zyaire (Ewing) and Rashonae (Rice) to let them shoot. When they let them shoot, those girls were throwing the ball behind the basket and off the backboard.”

The switch allowed Natchez to outscore Pearl 15-3 in the third quarter, giving Natchez separation in what was a back-and-forth tight contest. Rice led the team in scoring with 20, while Ewing contributed with 18 points. Moore said the Lady Bulldogs’ size advantage was something they knew going in would play a huge factor.

“We wanted to take full advantage of that,” Moore said.

Kirdis Clark scored 11 points for the Lady Bulldogs, while Skylar Morgan and Ernesha Chatman produced seven points for Natchez.

With the win, Natchez improves to 23-1, and more importantly, gets to defend its title in the state championship game against West Jones at 6 p.m. Friday.

Moore said though it’s expected, she’s still shocked and excited to have the opportunity to repeat as state champions.

“The fact that we’re back here again, I told Dewayne (Taylor, her fiancée) today, I can’t believe we’re one game away,” Moore said. “It’s crazy. To possibly make history for the town is a blessing.”