GULFPORT — The Natchez High Lady Bulldogs probably didn’t need to take a bus back from Gulfport to Natchez following Saturday’s Class 5A South State Tournament third place game.

They were so excited they probably could have floated home.

Natchez used an outstanding defensive effort and 39 combined points from seniors Alia Frank and Keosha Bradley to take a 59-51 win over Brandon and advance to the State Tournament at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.

The Lady Bulldogs will play either Horn Lake or Murrah in the first round at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 26.

“We are about as excited as you can get,” Natchez High coach Sue Johnson said following the victory. “We are about to pop with joy. I am so proud of them.”

It was a far cry from 24 hours before, when the Lady Bulldogs fell apart in the fourth quarter against Hattiesburg in a 78-59 semifinal loss.

But Natchez was able to shake off that loss and come back with a strong effort against Brandon.

“Tonight they did what we told them to do,” Johnson said. “(Friday) night they were real nervous, and it’s like they went blank. (Saturday) they were a lot more calm and we played our game. That was the difference.”

Natchez (22-9) led 10-9 after one quarter, but really pulled away in the second period, outscoring Brandon 15-7 to take a 25-16 lead into halftime.

Brandon closed the gap to six points after the third quarter, but Natchez outscored Brandon 21-19 in the fourth quarter to hang on for the victory.

Frank led Natchez with 22 points while Bradley scored 17, but Johnson said it was the defensive effort from little-used Americia Dawson that made the difference.

“We went with a different lineup tonight and it worked,” Johnson said. “Every night somebody different steps up and tonight it was Americia Dawson. She’s one of the last people off the bench but we tried her tonight to help Keosha bring the ball up the floor and she held a Dandy Dozen player (Jauncee Sanders) to under 10 points.”

In addition to Frank and Bradley, Natchez High was led by Jasmine Belton with eight points and Jacquerra Williams with six.

Mesha Martin led Brandon with 13 points while Jasmyne Sanders scored 10 and Jauncee Sanders scored nine.