NATCHEZ &045; The Class A Trinity Episcopal Saints took on their third straight Mississippi Private School Association Class AAA opponent in less than a week.

And not just any three AAA opponents, but three of the best in District 2-AAA this season &045; Jackson Prep, ACCS and Central Private.

Trinity stayed in the game until the fourth quarter, but foul trouble by the Saints and tough defense and big free throws by the Central Private enabled the Rebels to leave Clyde Adams Arena with a 54-38 win.

&uot;It’s tough on our seniors because we’re used to competing with AAA teams,&uot; Trinity head coach David King said. &uot;They’re a good ball club. We hope this helps us in our single-A run.&uot;

And give Central Private head coach Jason Norris credit for switching defenses after Trinity cut the gap to three at the end of the third quarter.

&uot;I thought we were slow in the third quarter. They pretty much figured out our zone,&uot; Norris said. &uot;We went back to a man to man. The fourth quarter I thought we really picked up the intensity.&uot;

The Rebels (18-4) could have had a chance to put the game away in the third quarter when Trinity’s Robert Manson picked up his third foul 12 seconds into the quarter and his fourth with just over two minutes remaining in the quarter.

But they didn’t take advantage of the situation because Trinity’s defense forced some bad shots by the Rebels which enabled the Saints to stay in the game with their big man on the bench.

Despite the foul trouble, Manson finished with game-highs of 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Trinity (9-9) trailed 36-33 at the end of the third quarter, but things went downhill at the start of the fourth quarter as Travis McGraw, who had 10 points, stole the inbounds pass by Gregory Ketchings and passed it to Travis McGraw for the layup.

&uot;We just made some critical mistakes at crucial times,&uot; King said. &uot;They were simply better than we were.&uot;

&uot;Our senior point guard, McGraw, played his best game of the year,&uot; Norris said. &uot;He played well defensively and hit some big 3’s. It was a physical game, but that’s how we like it.&uot;

Josh Wall, who was held to just four points in the first half, got things going in the second half and finished with 16 points and five rebounds to lead the Rebels.

Chase Richard made some key free throws down the stretch and finished with 12 points.

While the Rebels were able to pull away late with an 18-5 advantage in the fourth quarter, the Saints again were unable to get in an offensive rhythm.

&uot;Sometimes our kids don’t have the confidence to shoot the ball,&uot; King said. &uot;They couldn’t hit the big shots.&uot;

The game got off to a sluggish start as Central Private led just 12-11 but pushed its lead to 29-20 at halftime.