FLOWOOD &045; For the second straight year, Trinity Episcopal could wind up getting a dozen or so thank-you cards in the mail.

Because for the second time at the state tournament the Saints knocked off powerhouse CM&I 46-42 to advance and send the team that won the Overall title two years ago out of the playoffs.

The Crusaders &045; who had four players 6-2 or taller including two 6-6 players &045; came up short in the fourth quarter after leading by two after the third quarter.

&uot;They were very tall and very athletic,&uot; Trinity assistant coach Matt Mason said. &uot;This could be the biggest win in Trinity basketball for these guys to pull off this win tonight. I think (head coach) David (King) has beaten them three out of four times. With this group and all they’ve been through, to get this win, it gets us back to Overall. We have a legitimate chance at winning a state championship.&uot;

Perhaps the biggest key for the Saints was keeping the game at a slow tempo and keeping the Crusaders from executing their running game. The Crusaders held a 32-30 lead heading into the fourth quarter and got it to five before the Saints started to claw their way back.

Gregory Ketchings nailed a 3-pointer with about 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the game to tie the score at 40.

&uot;They played us a straight man (defense),&uot; Mason said. &uot;They did get in a zone a little bit, but mostly they played man. Coach King had a great game plan against their man defense. We were patient, got some high-percentage shots and it worked out.&uot;

The team’s solid defensive play that’s kept them in ball games all this year showed up again, and the Saints never let the game slip away. They took a 10-8 lead at the end of the first before CM&I answered with a 14-10 edge in the second to lead 22-21 at halftime.

The Crusaders then held a 10-9 advantage in the third.

&uot;We played our half-court man defense,&uot; Mason said. &uot;Our guys stepped up defensively and forced them to take shots didn’t want to take. We were able to slow the tempo down with our defense, and we knew coming in we had to do that. We kept them from running with the basketball, and our half-court defense was excellent.&uot;

Trinity’s top scorers were Ryan Rachal with 16 and Robert Manson with 10.

Lee 59, Adams Christian 52

JACKSON &045; You couldn’t have found a worse time for this to happen. The Colts stayed in a sagging man-to-man defense to stop the Rebels’ inside game and take a chance on the outside.

The Rebels’ couldn’t do either, and the Colts’ plan worked.

&uot;We played very poorly tonight,&uot; AC head coach John Gray said. &uot;I thought it was one of our worst overall games we’ve played all year. I hate it happened tonight, but we didn’t play well. We didn’t have a lot of intensity. We just played poorly &045; there’s no other way to say it.&uot;

The Rebels struggled in the second quarter by scoring just six points to Lee’s 14, and the Colts held a 29-20 lead at halftime. With some AC players going to the bench in foul trouble, the Rebels never could claw back into the lead.

Dustin Case finished with 24 points, but he fouled out along with point guard Glenn Williams and forward Casey Gould.

&uot;Our percentage was off,&uot; Gray said. &uot;Dustin had a good night, but the rest of them struggled. They played that sagging man on us. They gave us the shots outside, but we couldn’t hit them.&uot;