A third-quarter 20-8 surge proved to be the difference for Trinity Episcopal as it beat city-rival Cathedral High School 69-61 in boys basketball action Friday night.

The Saints busted open what was a tight first half in which the Saints controlled a slim 31-28 advantage.

“Our effort was (great). All I ask from the guys is effort,” Trinity coach Andy Blair said. “We hit the boards, we played hard defense. We finally wore them down in the third quarter.”

First-year Cathedral coach Matthew Hall said the Saints’ playmaking ability in the open floor was the difference in the game.

“I thought we played a really good first half,” Hall said. “We played zone and let them shoot, and they made a few early … They run and turn it into a track meet, and that’s what I didn’t want them to do. That’s our weakness. Them running the court totally changed the game.”

Trinity was led by its stellar guard play, as David Jackson, Dee Fleming and Jakarius Caston combined to score 43 points. Jackson had 21, Fleming had 12 and Caston poured in 10.

Fleming provided a strong all-around effort as the Saints point guard tallied five assists, four rebounds and one block shot and one steal.

“Dee Fleming was the difference tonight,” Blair said. “He knows how to penetrate and distribute the ball. I’m excited about his ability.”

While the trio provided the playmaking on the perimeter, DeSanto Rollins controlled the interior. The senior center had eight points to go along with seven rebounds.

“For a freshman, he is going to be a monster,” Blair said. “We just have to get him to finish around the goal, and he’s unstoppable.”

Trinity controlled a 51-36 halftime advantage, but Cathedral wouldn’t go away quietly.

Led by the play of Derrion Battieste, the Green Wave managed to trim the deficit to single digits on several different occasions. The senior guard finished with 26 points, including six 3-pointers, to go along with seven re

bounds.

“He’s a senior, he’s a leader,” Hall said. “I’m proud of him for making the shots, but I don’t want to go down and just shoot immediately. I want to work the offense a little bit, but credit to him for stepping up.”

Trinity will be back in action today at Oak Forest Academy, while Cathedral won’t play again until Nov. 28 when it hosts Brookhaven Academy.

“I give our guys credit for not quitting,” Hall said. “They played their butts off all the way until the end.”

William Doss had 12 points for Cathedral, while Adam Phillips had nine points.

Cathedral (girls) 47, 

Trinity 44

Trinity ended the third quarter on a 9-0 run to go ahead 37-29.

But the Lady Green Wave would not be denied.

Cathedral outscored Trinity 18-7 in the final period to escape with a thrilling 47-44 in girls basketball action.

“Truthfully, we didn’t play very well the whole night,” Cathedral coach Peter Arnold said. “We just couldn’t seem to do anything right. But I kept telling them, you just have to persevere.”

The Lady Green Wave certainly did that.

Senior center Elizabeth Smith led the charge with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Marty Lewis had seven points and 14 rebounds. Caroline Kaiser chipped in with nine points and eight rebounds.

“It’s early in the year, we played good at times and bad times,” Arnold said. “You’re just trying to find your way. The biggest thing, grinding through the adversity and trying to find a way to win.”

D’Asia Mitchell led the Lady Saints with 28 points.

“Our problem is we don’t have a whole lot of depth on our bench,” Trinity coach Fay Minor said. “When my first string gets in foul trouble, I’m in trouble. I had some underclassmen come in, like Mary Redhead, and made some key free throws, but I tell you what, I’m fuming.”

Arnold said while his team struggled to produce a consistent offense in the first half, they were helped out by the shooting of Natalie Fletcher, who scored all eight of her points in the first half including a pair of 3 pointers.

“I’m proud of the girls for sticking with it, fighting through the bad times and finding a way to win,” Arnold said.

Cathedral’s comeback effort was aided by a slew of Trinity turnovers in the final minutes.

“We kept pushing the ball, and why are we rushing? We’re ahead,” Minor said. “What I’m taking out of this game is that we have to be patient. We can’t rush and get excited, and we have to let the game to us.”