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JACKSON — It took two buzzer-beaters by Daylan Haywood and a 3-pointer by William Johnson as time expired in the second overtime for the Natchez High School Bulldogs to defeat the Provine High School Rams 62-59 in double overtime in a thrilling MHSAA Region 3-5A game last Friday.

Daylan Haywood led Natchez High with a game-high 29 points. And both of his buzzer-beaters were also 3-pointers. The first one was at the end of regulation that tied the game at 44-44. The second one occurred at the end of the first overtime that tied the game at 50-all.

“Both teams played pretty well at different times. At the end of regulation, it was very exciting. It went back and forth,” Bulldogs head coach David Haywood said. “The first overtime was like a heavyweight fight. I kind of figured they would be better than they were the first time we played them at our place. When you play a team a second time, you expect them to be better.”

Haywood said that the second meeting between Natchez High and Provine mirrored that of the first meeting at the Mary Jean Irving Gym on the NHS campus back on January 7. He said that on that occasion, the Bulldogs were up by double digits at halftime and then the Rams started hitting their shots in the second half that allowed them to cut Natchez High’s lead down to three points before the Bulldogs pulled away late.

But there was one distinct difference last Friday night — the Rams made their shots in the second half that gave them the lead late and forced the Bulldogs to make a comeback of their own. They did so not just once, but twice.

Natchez High used a 19-5 advantage in the second quarter to take a 27-14 lead into halftime. But Provine responded not only by making its shots, but playing better defense. The Rams held the Bulldogs to just four points in the third quarter to make it a 31-23 game by the end of that quarter. Then the Rams outscored the Bulldogs 21-13 in the fourth quarter, but it took Daylan’s 3-pointer to send the game into overtime.

The first overtime period saw both teams struggle to get shots to fall. Provine led 50-47 with time running out before Daylan hit a 3-pointer to send the game to a second overtime.

“This time they were able to make enough shots to take the lead and we had to come back and make shots at the end of regulation and the first overtime,” coach Haywood said. “The second overtime, we finally had a chance to take the lead off two free that Daylan made with 15 seconds left.”

Those big free throws gave Natchez High a 59-56 lead. But Provine got the ball down the court quickly and made a step-back 3-pointer to tie the game at 59-all with about seven seconds left. After the Bulldogs got the ball inbounds and to Daylan, three Rams players closed on him. He was able to make a nice pass to Johnson, who made a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Bulldogs the dramatic victory with no time left on the clock.

“I don’t think that a fan that was in the building left. It was a playoff atmosphere,” coach Haywood said.

Johnson was the only other player to score in double figures for Natchez High with 14 points. Cameron Frazier led Provine with 14 points and Brandon Payne finished with seven points.

Florence 67, Natchez High 42 (Saturday afternoon)

NATCHEZ — Whether it was fatigue from the double-overtime win on the road at Provine or just facing a Florence High School team that was up for the challenge, the Natchez High Bulldogs struggled on both ends of the court in an 67-42 upset loss at home to the Eagles last Saturday afternoon in a Region 3-5A game that was postponed from last Tuesday due to a winter storm.

Natchez High was only down two points to Florence, 14-12, at the end of the first quarter. But the Eagles pulled away thanks to a 19-7 advantage in the second quarter that gave them a 33-19 halftime lead. And this was a Florence team that went into this game winless in Region 3-5A.

“We didn’t play very well. We struggled on the defensive end. And we get a lot of opportunities on offense from our defense. We weren’t to get stops,” Bulldogs head coach David Haywood said.

Florence continued to add to its lead by outscoring Natchez High 18-13 in the third quarter and 16-10 in the fourth quarter. The Eagles had three players score in double figures. They were led by Kruz Ashley with 15 points, followed by Kenington Russell with 14 points and Nick Jones with 13 points.

“We had to take a bunch of forced shots in the half-court set. Florence was well-prepared,” coach Haywood said. “They made an emphasis to use a defensive strategy and they disrupted our offense. They made some adjustments from the first time they played us.”

William Johnson led Natchez High with 16 points while Daylan Haywood was held to just 14 points.

The Bulldogs are now 13-9 overall and 4-4 in Region 3-5A. They played host to region rival Brookhaven High School for Senior Night at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.