JACKSON &045; The third time wasn’t the charm for Trinity Episcopal.

But that’s not bad &045; it wouldn’t be for most teams in MPSA.

The Saints dropped their third game in as many chances to Jackson Academy Thursday, 65-50, in the second round of the JA Tournament in Jackson.

All four of the Saints’ losses have been to Class AAA teams, and three have been to the Raiders from JA. The other was at Central Private in overtime.

&uot;They’re so strong up front and down low,&uot; Trinity head coach David King said. &uot;We just played hard. I think they’re the best team in the state right now. It’s a great experience for us to get ready for tournament play. We’ve got to keep working hard, and maybe we’ll get a chance to see them again in overall. Who knows?&uot;

The Saints’ slow start kind of did them in as Jackson Academy took a 17-9 lead heading into the second quarter. But they managed to trim the lead to three points in the second half before the Raiders got it back up to eight in the fourth.

&uot;We missed opportunities,&uot; King said. &uot;We had chances to get in the game. Our shot selection was not very good. But I’m proud of the kids. They competed the whole game. That’s what you need to have all four quarters. I’m happy where we are right now.&uot;

The Raiders got big production underneath from big man Tyler Winford, who finished with 31 points to Trinity big man Dudley Guice Jr.’s 25. Guice, however, wasn’t as fortunate as Winford, who got a chance to sit and take more breathers with the Raiders suiting up more players.

&uot;It’s just hard to defend him,&uot; King said. &uot;He’s just so big, and we’ve got nobody over 6-2. He wears you down. He gets a minute or two breather every quarter. We started out zone, and they hit three 3-pointers on us. We played well. They’re just a really good ball club.&uot;