FLOWOOD &045; You can take plenty of solace in a third-place game.

Although the hype surrounding the Trinity Episcopal-Winston Academy game paled in comparison to the state championship that followed, the Saints were glad to be a part. For a team that came into the season as the biggest question mark in the Miss-Lou, the Saints took advantage of the situation with a 51-45 win to spring into the MPSA Overall tournament next week.

So a No. 3 finish at the state tournament and a shot at Overall sounds awfully nice for this bunch.

&uot;We started out with nothing pretty much, and we’ve definitely turned some heads,&uot; Trinity senior forward Ryan Rachal said. &uot;The talk of the whole town was we weren’t going to be that good. We weren’t too worried about it. We knew we would be good.&uot;

Trinity coaches continually point to the losses of Chase Brown and Dudley Guice Jr. from a year ago, two of the key players on a team that finished among the top four at Overall a season ago.

Both took a hefty amount of points with them, leaving Rachal and Gregory Ketchings to pick up the slack &045; and with Ketchings moving to point guard.

But every game, they say, has been a improvement as the team with a remodeled lineup will make the return trip to Overall. The Saints will play the loser of Saturday’s Jackson Academy-MRA contest in the first round next week at Mississippi College.

&uot;We’ve pretty much been the mainstay in single-A in the last six years,&uot; Trinity head coach David King said. &uot;I think everybody thought with Chase going down and when the other incident went down we’d be down, but tournament time came, and I think our kids fed off being there for two or three years. These seniors are a special group for me. They helped us win seven straight district titles, which is unheard of in any sport. I just love those guys.&uot;

The fourth quarter may have kicked that feeling in after Trinity and Winston battled for three quarters. But much like what’s gotten the Saints this far, they turned up some pressure defensively in their man-to-man setup.

The Patriots trailed 41-40 going into the fourth quarter but hit just one field goal in the final eights minutes.

&uot;We played pretty sloppy the whole game, but we picked it up in the fourth quarter,&uot; Rachal said. &uot;They only scored four points in the fourth quarter. We picked it up big time. That’s what got us here, and we were ready to step it up in the fourth quarter.&uot;

With the Saints holding a 41-40 lead after three, they got inside buckets from Robert Manson and Stevan Ridley to take a 45-41 lead. Winston then got a 3-pointer from Patrick Peterson and one of two free throws from Taylor Paschai to tie the score at 45 with 3:02 left before things went cold.

The Saints kept pounding it inside to Manson and Ridley, and Manson tossed in a bucket with 2:32 left to break the tie. After Paschai missed a jumper, the Patriots put Zach Rogel on the line with 47 seconds left, and he canned them both.

Rachal then went to the line with six seconds left, and he did the same.

Manson and Ridley led the Saints with 12 points apiece.

&uot;We just couldn’t match the big guy &045; (Manson) &045; in the fourth quarter,&uot; Winston head coach Farrell Rigby said. &uot;He was just a little bit too much for us. They played real smooth. I always give credit to David King’s teams. He’s a fine gentleman and an excellent basketball coach. Natchez is fortunate to have someone like David King, and that comes from someone who’s been in the business for a long time.&uot;

The Saints initially pulled away early in the third after trailing 30-26 at halftime. Manson put in a basket 20 seconds in to spark a 13-2 run Trinity run that Ketchings finished with a 3-pointer for a 39-32 lead with 3:25 left.

Rigby called a timeout, and the Patriots were able to strike back. They finished the quarter on an 8-2 run with Justin Eaves tossing in a basket with 19 seconds left to cut the lead to 41-40.

&uot;A consolation game &045; both teams wishing they would have gotten to the big dance,&uot; King said. &uot;It’s always tough to get them up for the consolation game. Both teams were sluggish, and that’s to be expected. We got up, and we’re pleased to be third place. We feel very fortunate.&uot;