MINDEN, La. &045; Franklin Academy’s boys are no slouchers, and it may not have been a surprise when they were tied up with Trinity Episcopal at half Thursday.

Then the Saints did what they do best &045; run the floor and pounce on an opponent’s mistakes.

The Saints pulled away from the Cougars for a 57-41 win to advance to the Class A South State semifinals and clinch a spot in the state tournament.

The Saints play at 6 p.m. today against Plain Dealing, a 64-44 winner over Sharkey-Issaquena. The game will air on KFNV 107.1 FM.

&uot;We came out a little sluggish starting out the ball game,&uot; TE head coach David King said. &uot;We hadn’t played in a couple of days. It (FA’s size) gave us a little trouble. We weren’t ready to play like we normally are. It took us a while to get into the swing of things.&uot;

The game was tied at 17 at the half, and that’s when the Saints started to pull away to send the Cougars packing for the season. Trinity held a 19-10 edge in the third quarter to take a 36-27 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Saints then outscored Franklin 21-14 in the fourth quarter for the win.

Trinity started with a 10-7 lead by the end of the first quarter, but the Cougars &045; who have plenty of size to match up inside against Trinity &045; answered with a 10-7 run of their own to make a game out of it.

&uot;They played a really good game,&uot; King said. &uot;Give them credit. We didn’t shoot the ball well in the first half. We were able to move the ball better in the second half. They had a really good zone against us. We were able to move the ball better and get better shots inside.&uot;

Dudley Guice Jr. led Trinity with 21 points. Myles Stewart led Franklin with 16.

Wilkinson County girls 51,

Jefferson County 44

MEADVILLE &045; It’s been more than a decade since either Wildcat basketball team has made the state playoffs. Heading into the fourth period, and down by seven, it looked like it was going to be longer for the Lady Wildcats.

But erasing its deficit on the strength of a 12-3 run, fifth-seeded Wilkinson County (12-18) outscored the No. 1-seeded Lady Tigers 23-6 in the fourth for the win and a spot in today’s division 7-3A final at 6 p.m.

The win ensures the Lady Wildcats a berth in the 3A playoffs

&uot;I liked our chances coming into the game today,&uot; a jubilant WCHS head coach Edwin White said. &uot;My kids wanted it, and they gave 110 percent. I can’t say enough about them. They’re young but disciplined.&uot;

Latasha Williams led all scorers with 19 points, as Nakia Stewart chipped in with 10, including a banked 3-pointer that tied the game 39-all with 5:04 in the fourth period.