After giving up 22 points in the second quarter, Trinity Episcopal’s defense stepped up in the second half in general and the fourth quarter in particular as the Saints defeated the River Oaks Mustangs 63-50 in the first round of the MPSA Class A South Regional Tournament at Huntington.

Trinity, the No. 2 seed from District 7-A and ranked No. 4 in the latest Class A poll, improved to 13-10 overall and will go up against District 8-A champion Glenbrook in a semifinal game Friday at 6 p.m.

And with their win Wednesday night, the Saints also wrapped up a berth in next week’s Class A State Tournament, which will be held at University Christian School in Flowood.

“It was a hard-fought battle. River Oaks is a very well-coached team,” Saints head coach David King said. “It was everything we expected as far as the intensity.”

River Oaks, the No. 3 seed from the District 8-A, trailed Trinity 14-10 after one quarter of play before outscoring the Saints 22-18 in the second quarter to tie the score at 32-32 at halftime.

“The first half is nervous because it’s the first game of the tournament,” King said, “ but we were able to settle down. But our intensity on defense wore them down.”

Led by Stevan Ridley and Matthew Freeman, the Saints took the lead for good by outscoring the Mustangs 18-11 in the third quarter. Trinity really clamped down on defense in the fourth quarter as it allowed River Oaks to score just seven points.

Ridley finished with a game-high 23 points and Freeman had 20 points to lead Trinity in scoring.

“They played a pretty good zone, but we found a kink in it and we were able to get a few lay-ups,” King said. “A little pressure is relieved because we go to the next round. We have one day to get ready for a good Glenbrook team.”

Three players led River Oaks in scoring with 12 points each – Tyler Ginn, Jordan Smith and Erick Dag.

Trinity Episcopal girls 46, Riverdale 40

FERRIDAY — The last time the Trinity Lady Saints and the Riverdale Lady Rebels met in the postseason, Riverdale defeated Trinity to win the MPSA Class A South State championship.

That was in February of 2002 at Clyde Adams Arena — Trinity’s home court. Five years later, the Lady Saints made sure Riverdale would not get in their way of advancing to the semifinals as they defeated the Lady Rebels in the first round of the Class A South Regional Tournament at Huntington.

Eliza Jones scored a game-high 13 points and connected on a pair of three-pointers and Molly Butts had 11 points and had a three-pointer of her own for Trinity, which improved to 12-15 and will take on District 8-A champion Claiborne Academy Friday at 2:15 p.m.

“To God be the glory,” Lady Saints head coach Melanie Hall said. “Defense stepped up it and we moved our feet. The kids refused to go down and they wanted this game badly.”

And like the two postseason meetings the 2000-2001 Lady Saints had with the Lady Rebels, this one was going to be decided in the fourth quarter.

Riverdale, the No. 3 seed from District 8-A, led 14-11 at the end of the first quarter and kept its three-point lead at halftime. Trinity, the No. 2 seed from District 7-A, outscored Riverdale 15-12 in the third quarter to tie the game at 36-36.

With an outstanding team effort on both ends of the court, the Lady Saints outscored the Lady Rebels 10-4 in the fourth quarter to pull out the six-point win. Free throws were also a key in Trinity’s win as the Lady Saints went 7-of-10 from the line while the Lady Rebels were just 9-of-16.

“We said all year lay-ups, free throws and defense,” Hall said. “You can do those three things, you’re going to compete every night. I thought it was a great team effort and I’m proud of my girls. Both teams played a good ball game.”

The Lady Saints also clinched a spot in next week’s Class A State Tournament at University Christian School in Flowood by one of the four remaining teams in the girls’ bracket.

Franklin County boys 54, Tylertown 49

SUMMIT — Franklin County, the team not many people expected to end up with the No. 3 seed in the Region 7-3A Tournament, held off a fourth-quarter rally to defeat the Chiefs in a first-round match-up.

Franklin County improved to 8-18 overall and will take on No. 2 seed Wilkinson County today at 8 p.m. with a spot in championship game Friday at 8 p.m. on the line. The loser of this game will play in the consolation game Friday at 5 p.m.

The Bulldogs got solid performances from Jamie Collins, Bo Tillman and Jarvis Hunt. Collins finished with 15 points while Tillman added 14 points and Hunt chipped in with 10 points.

Tylertown, the No. 6 seed, outplayed Franklin County in the first half and held an 18-17 lead at halftime. Franklin County responded big time in the third quarter with a 23-12 advantage to take a 40-30 lead.

The Chiefs tried desperately to rally in the fourth quarter, but fell a bit short despite scoring 19 points. Tylertown was led by Terraz Posey with 15 points and Jeremy Magee with 12 points.