NATCHEZ — Strong performances by Katie Berry and Renee Miley still couldn’t get Centreville Academy over the hump against Silliman Institute Saturday in the final day of the ACCS Tip-Off Tournament.

Berry led the game in scoring with 16 points, and Miley tallied 13 points, but the rest of the Centreville roster only managed six points as the Lady Tigers fell to the Lady Wildcats 44-35.

After jumping out to an early 11-6 lead in the first, Silliman began keying in on Berry, which took away a major offensive weapon for Centreville.

“We stayed disorganized after (we scored 11),” Lady Tigers head coach John Gray said.

“We were pressing, and everything was going well, then they denied the ball to our point guard (Berry), and it disrupted our whole ball game. We have to go back and work on ball handling, inbounds plays, things like that.”

Berry scored 10 of Centreville’s first 11 points, including two three-pointers at the 2:58 and 2:17 marks in the first quarter. Once Silliman started keying in on Berry, the Lady Tigers were unable to score a field goal until 2:58 left in the second quarter, when Berry hit a layup.

The Lady Wildcats, meanwhile, scored nine points in the final two minutes of the first quarter to lead 13-11 after one. All of those points came from the free throw line. All together, Silliman was 16 of 29 in free throws, while Centreville was just seven of 19 in foul shooting.

“I don’t want to criticize anyone, but apparently we’re a lot rougher or we don’t move our feet as well,” Gray said. “We just have to do a better job with our feet and quit reaching with our hands if that’s what we’re doing.”

Silliman managed just nine points in the second quarter, while Centreville scored six, four by Berry and two by Kaylea Hurst. The Lady Wildcats led 22-17 at intermission.

A pair of three-pointers by Miley was all Centreville managed in the third quarter, while Silliman tallied seven, making it 29-23 after three.

After a quick three-pointer by Addie Roberts for Silliman, Centreville went on an 11-8 run, cutting the score to 37-34 with 1:47 left in regulation.

But the Lady Tigers were outscored 7-1 in the final minute and a half of play. Berry hit a field goal with 5:50 left in the quarter, but was scoreless the rest of the way. Those two points were her only points in the second half.

Centreville fell to 1-1 on the season.

ACCS 58, Copiah 37

Brandis White scored a game-high 18 points as the Adams County Christian Academy Lady Rebels defeated the Copiah Academy Lady Colonels 58-37 Saturday afternoon at the ACCS Tip-Off Tournament.

However, the final score was somewhat deceiving. ACCS held Copiah Academy to just 17 points from the floor. Foul trouble is how the Lady Colonels score more than half of their points, but it didn’t make a difference in the end.

“This early in the year, I’m proud of their intensity and their unity,” ACCS head coach Melanie Hall said about her players.

Trinity Episcopal 33,

Tallulah Academy 25

Abbey Ashmore led Trinity Episcopal with a 13 points and Margaret Ward chipped in with eight points as the Lady Saints needed a strong defensive effort to defeat the Tallulah Academy Lady Trojans Saturday afternoon in the final game of the ACCS Tip-Off Tournament.

Trinity and Tallulah were tied at 8-8 after one quarter of play, but the Lady Saints put the clamps on the Lady Trojans in the second quarter, holding them to just four points. Yet Trinity led by just six points at halftime, 18-12.

Trinity Episcopal (2-0) doesn’t play again until Tuesday, Nov. 29 when it plays host to Silliman Institute.