Lady Bulldogs defeat Lady Panthers

NATCHEZ – The Brookhaven Panthers snapped a two-game losing streak Friday night with a 69-52 victory over the Natchez Bulldogs in Region 3-5A action.

In girls’ action, the Lady Bulldogs overcame a slow start to dominate the Lady Panthers 60-37.

Brookhaven will be in action Tuesday night as the Panthers and Lady Panthers host Jim Hill for senior night. The varsity girls will tip off at 6, followed by the boys at 7:30 p.m.

Brookhaven 69, Natchez 52 

After trailing 13-9 in the first quarter, the Panthers (19-2, 3-2) clobbered the Bulldogs in the second with a 21-5 explosion to take a commanding 30-18 lead into halftime.

In the second half, both teams battled in a evenly match contest with Brookhaven winning the point spread 39-34 to collect the win.

“I am very proud of the guys’ effort tonight,” said BHS coach Jimmie Butler. “We struggled offensively during the first quarter, but when we increased our defensive pressure in the second quarter, we began to create steals which turned into some easy layups.”

Brookhaven had four players to score in double figures as Darrian Wilson led the charge with 17 points and seven rebounds. Darius Bryant chipped in 14 points. Garrick Smith netted 11 points and had eight rebounds. Lazorian McNulty scored 12 points, four rebounds, three steals and four assists. Damarius Brook had seven points. Marte Jones and Danarius Gray finished with four points each. Shon Blackwell added two points.

Tyran Newman was the top scorer for Natchez with 13 points. Jadarrious Ivory contributed 12 points. Izzy Holmes scored 11 points and Elijah Hill had 10 points.

Lady Bulldogs 60, Lady Panthers 37 

The Lady Panthers secured a 12-9 lead over the Lady Bulldogs in the first, but Natchez responded with a 51-25 run in the final three quarters to secure the win.

“We started off the first quarter really good, but we started to make some crucial mistakes in the second quarter and Natchez made us pay for them,” said BHS coach Preston Wilson. “Overall, I was very proud of the girls’ effort.”

Miyah Miller directed the Lady Panthers with seven points. Angel Washington provided six points and was the leader on the boards with five rebounds. Taylor Carter and Mya Washington netted five points each. Asia Byrd and Johnique James had three points each. Fernandaria Byrd, Courtney Brown, Jada Henderson and Tamia Stallings finished with two points apiece.

Kirdis Clark led the Lady Bulldogs with 19 points. Skylar Morgan chipped in 12 points.