NATCHEZ &8212; It may almost be a shame that the history between Trinity Episcopal and Riverdale predates players on both benches.

But you can bet the farm they know. Especially those Lady Saints, who were toiling away in the junior high circuit when some of those Trinity teams battled Riverdale for a South State championship and lost but returned the favor at the state tournament to get to Overall.

Or how about 2002 when Trinity hosted South State in cozy little Clyde Adams Arena and lost to Riverdale in the finals. But on Friday night, things were a little different &8212; an early-season game that the Lady Saints got hot late in the third quarter to take a 56-41 win to hand the Lady Rebels their first loss of the season.

&8220;We haven&8217;t played since then,&8221; Trinity head coach Melanie Hall said. &8220;They knew Riverdale has always been tough, scrappy and one of the stronger single-A teams. They were very focused and ready to go. They came out tonight just very focused, and I thought it was a beautiful team effort. I couldn&8217;t be more proud of them.&8221;

This one may plant a seed for another running history between the two teams in the future with Trinity scheduled to move back down to Class A next season. But on Friday day night, however, the Lady Rebels struggled down the stretch in the second half to get of shots while Trinity came up big on its end.

Up against a Riverdale team that was loaded with girls 5-10 or 5-11, the Lady Saints just tried to execute their offense, play solid defense and hope everything worked out in their favor.

&8220;We were really nervous at the beginning because they were a high-ranked team in single-A,&8221; said Eliza Jones, who had 21 points and hit some key shots at the end of the third quarter. &8220;Coach Hall got us calmed down, and we went out and played great as a team. (She) got us on the bench and said we needed to take the game right there. We set screens and played really well together.&8221;

The Lady Saints (3-0) had to pick it up late in the third quarter or fall victim to their first loss of the regular season. And Riverdale was on the move at that point after trailing by three to start the quarter, but the Lady Saints got a bucket from Brandy Hall under the basket and another from Mallory Archer on a fast break for a five-point lead.

Jones, however, then nailed a 3-pointer with six seconds left to give the Lady Saints a 32-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

&8220;They hit some big shots, and that&8217;s what we&8217;ve relied on all this year,&8221; Riverdale head coach Nathan Collinsworth said. &8220;Ours didn&8217;t fall. They hit a lot of big shots, and they made their free throws. They had a good team, and they played well together. We just didn&8217;t hit our shots.&8221;

The Lady Saints hit their shots at the start of the fourth quarter as well and pulled away from there. Jones started out with a three-point play 30 seconds in, and she later sank two free throws that put the lead at 37-27 at the 6:43 mark.

Laura Jo Hurt put in a bucket off the glass just under a minute later, and Jones nailed another 3-pointer at the 5:03 mark for a 42-29 lead &8212; Trinity&8217;s first lead of more than 10 points.

&8220;My shots were falling,&8221; Jones said. &8220;My teammates were setting good picks that would leave me open. We played great as a team and came out on fire.&8221;

Jones&8217; 21 was a welcome sight for a team that in the past would get that many from Archer and a handful from everyone else. Archer finished with 22, including a bucket at the 4:33 mark before nailing all six free throws down the stretch.

Her last two free throws with under a minute left gave Trinity its biggest lead at 55-38.

&8220;I&8217;m thankful we&8217;ve got depth this year,&8221; Hall said. &8220;I always thank God for the opportunity to play. It&8217;s a privilege. Eliza can shoot the lights out. We&8217;ve got shooters. I don&8217;t think she&8217;s a surprise to a whole lot of people anymore. I&8217;m thankful I&8217;ve got a lot of people that can shoot the lights out. Our inside girls &8212; we got it going down there.&8221;

Neither team strayed from its man-to-man defense over the course of the game, and the Lady Rebels kept it close in the first half and the first part of the third quarter with their defensive play. Each time the Lady Saints made a little run Riverdale answered, including Mallory Wiggins&8217; 3-pointer to answer Brandy Hall&8217;s 3-pointer just before the half.

When Archer hit two free throws to open the third quarter, Emily Perkins hit a bucket before Alysha Lee drained a 3-pointer that cut the lead to 21-20 at the 5:26 mark.

&8220;We were trying to play catch-up (late), and we were trying to get some quick shots,&8221; Collinsworth said. &8220;It was late in the game, and it looked like we were forcing it. We made those shots all year, but they weren&8217;t going in tonight.&8221;