The R.B. Hudson Lady Bulldogs got off to a fast start and never looked back, as they defeated the Tipton Lady Tigers 47-17 at Tipton on Thursday.

Martina West, head girls basketball coach of R.B. Hudson (11-0), said her team’s tough defensive play enabled it to come away with the win.

“Defense was key, hard-nosed Bulldog defense,” West said. “They did a great job at collapsing on the inbounds press. 8th graders, they stepped up, trying to go out with a bang. We’re 11-0 right now, so they just stepped up and did their job.”

The Lady Bulldogs started the game on an 11-0 run, which included six points from Jacquetta Daily, a shot in the paint by Areyana Williams, and a 3-pointer by Jamya Smith.

A layup by Sharite Benjamin helped Tipton (3-7) stop the run, as the Lady Tigers cut the lead to 11-4, but Smith hit her second 3-pointer of the first quarter to extend the Lady Bulldogs’ lead to 14-4.

Smith’s three sparked an 11-3 run by R.B. Hudson to close out the first quarter, which included another shot under the basket by Williams, a 3-pointer by Keyanna Moore, a layup by Smith and a shot by Karjia Steele.

The Lady Bulldogs took a 31-8 lead into halftime, as Tipton was never able to gain any momentum.

Marquita Dunklin, head girls basketball coach of Tipton, said there were mistakes, but her team played a good game overall.

“Overall, I think we did an okay job. We had areas where we could have done better, but overall, I think we played a good game,” Dunklin said. “Shots just weren’t falling, we missed some open layups and weren’t boxing out, but overall I think we played a good game.”

Smith led the Lady Bulldogs with 14 points, which included four 3-pointers, while Williams had 10 points.

Benjamin had 7 points for Tipton, while Denazia Dukes had 5 points for the Lady Tigers.