NATCHEZ — Trinity Episcopal eighth-grader Jakarius Caston made his first start in a varsity boys’ basketball game one to remember as he led all scorers with 19 points as the Saints defeated the Tensas Academy Chiefs 72-14 Tuesday night in their MAIS District 7-A opener.

Even Trinity Episcopal first-year head coach Zach Rogel was impressed with the performance with this kind of a performance from such a young player.

“He’s dangerous because he’s quick. He hit a few threes, but he scored most of his points in transition,” Rogel said.

But it wasn’t just Jakarius Caston that had Tensas Academy looking dazed and confused. It was also the different defenses that the Saints threw at the Chiefs throughout this lopsided district contest.

“I thought we came out with a good mindset. We switched it up and played man-to-man full-court press and some zone. We got some transition points out of that,” Rogel said.

The Saints took a 16-3 lead at the end of the first quarter and then proceeded to show no mercy on the Chiefs in the second quarter. When halftime finally arrived, Trinity Episcopal led Tensas Academy 46-5.

The onslaught continued in the second half. The Saints outscored the Chiefs 16-3 in the third quarter and 10-6 in the fourth quarter. David Jackson finished with 16 points and Kevontaye Caston had 14 points.

“They didn’t force any jumpers. They played unselfish ball,” Rogel said of Jackson and Kevontaye Caston. “They were hitting their shots and also getting out on the floor in transition.”

Only three players for Tensas Academy found their way into the scoring column. Seth Miller led the Chiefs with six points while Dalton Matthews had five points and Peyton Jones added three points.

Trinity Episcopal (4-5, 1-0) steps out of district play on Friday when it visits Prairie View Academy.

ACCS 67,

Central Hinds Academy 41

RAYMOND — Devin Spear led Adams County Christian School with 16 points and Tyler Stockstill had 13 points as the Rebels took care of the Central Hinds Academy Cougars 62-41 Tuesday night in an MAIS District 5-AA game.

Spear and Stockstill were two of five players to score in double figures for ACCS. Brandon Brooks and Lester Wells finished with 11 points each and Jay Fleming added 10 points.

The Rebels dominated the Cougars on both ends of the court in the first half.

The first quarter ended with the Rebels leading the Cougars 24-8 and at halftime it was 49-20 in favor of the visiting team from Natchez.

“We were able to run out real quick, get some pressure defense, and transition basketball,” ACCS head coach Richy Spears said. “Easy baskets and lay-ups on the other end, able to pressure their guards. We played well in the first half.”

Led by Jonathan Albright, Central Hinds Academy at least kept ACCS from winning by an even bigger margin than it turned out to be. Albright led all scorers with 18 points, but he was the only player on the Cougars’ roster to reach double figures.

ACCS (12-2, N/A) will be on the road for its next district game when the Rebels visit Prentiss Christian School.

Jefferson County 57,

Amite County 46

FAYETTE — Tijuan Cameron led Jefferson County High School with a game-high 18 points and Christian Day had 17 points as the Tigers defeated the Amite County High School Trojans 57-46 Tuesday night.

Jefferson County head coach Marcus Walton said he was pleased with the team’s defensive effort, especially in the first half, and the team’s ability to close out its opponent.

“The kids have started to know how to prepare themselves on the defensive end. We were able to make a few more plays down the stretch to finish the ball game,” Walton said.

Walton didn’t single out any one or two players who stepped up. Instead, he mentioned nearly every player that scored in this game — Christian Day, who finished with 17 points; Josh Day, who scored eight points; Akeem Williams, who added five points; and Keshawn Brinkley and Rashard Brown, had chipped in with four points each.

“We were able to get out on the break and get a lot of lay-ups. All of them were able to get out and make some easy shots. We converted defense into offense,” Walton said.

Jefferson County led Amite County 10-4 after one quarter of play and 12-8 at halftime. The Trojans were able to get their offense going in the second half, but they could not make nearly enough stops to really get back in the game.

“Give Amite County credit. They were able to break our pressure down and convert some easy baskets,” Walton said. “They were able to convert a lot more.

Next up for Jefferson County (4-7) is a home tilt with Wesson High School in its MHSAA Division 7-3A opener.

Sicily Island 63, Ferriday 62

SICILY ISLAND — The Ferriday High School Trojans fell to the Sicily Island High School Tigers 63-62 Tuesday night.

Ferriday scored just nine points in the first quarter and still trailed Sicily Island at halftime 30-26. The Tigers then outscored the Trojans 16-13 in the third quarter for a stunning 46-39 advantage.

The Trojans came oh so close to pulling off the comeback, only to come up a bucket short of victory despite outscoring the Tigers 23-17 in the fourth quarter.

Ferriday (7-9) begins LHSAA District 2-2A play on Friday night when the Trojans play host to Sterlington High School.