NATCHEZ — Any chance of the Cathedral Green Wave picking up its first win of the season on Tuesday night against Monterey ended quickly — as in the first quarter.

The Wolves, led by Cole Fancher and Hayden Cassels, jumped out to an 18-5 lead and held off Cathedral’s late-game charge for a 59-49 victory over the Green Wave.

Even though the final three quarters were close scoring-wise, Cathedral head coach Peter Arnold said his team made too many mental errors and that Monterey was the better team on the court on this night.

“They outhustled us. They just put it to us. We just looked awful,” Arnold said. “We were so impatient. Just making terrible decisions on passing and shot selections. They outplayed us by a mile.”

Monterey certainly did not play like a team that went into this game with just one win in its first four games. After the Wolves jumped out to the 13-point lead at the end of the first quarter, they kept the Green Wave at arm’s length.

The Wolves took a 14-pont lead at halftime and then had a 45-31 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. But Cathedral fought back and cut the lead to single digits late in the ball game.

“We finally got something going in the fourth quarter and got it down to 55-49 with 50 seconds left and they scored the last four points on free throws,” Arnold said. “They definitely played better than we did. They led the whole game from start to finish.”

Fancher led Monterey (2-3) with a game-high 20 points and Cassells added 12 points. Cathedral (0-3) was led by Jamon Gray with 14 points while D.J. Perry and Jarrell Johnson scored 11 points each.

Cathedral plays host to Salem on Monday, Nov. 28. Monterey plays at Harrisonburg on Friday.

Monterey girls 52, Cathedral 30

NATCHEZ — Ellen Bairnsfather led Monterey with a game-high 16 points as the Lady Wolves remained undefeated Tuesday night after defeating the Cathedral Lady Green Wave, which is still searching for its first win of the season.

“We played very hard and tried our best. But their press led to a lot of turnovers,” Lady Green Wave first-year head coach Randy Smith said. “With only one senior, it’s difficult this season. At one time or another we have four freshmen on the floor.”

And the combination of youth and inexperience showed against a good Monterey team. With Cathedral struggling to make baskets and turning the ball over, the Lady Wolves took advantage in a big way as they took a 15-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, 31-11 at halftime and 46-18 by the end of the third quarter.

Reagan Tiffee had a solid performance for Monterey (5-0) as she poured in 11 points. Ginny Daggett led Cathedral (0-3) with six points.

“It’s tough on Ginny, our only senior. But we’ll get a win soon,” Smith said.