NATCHEZ — The Trinity Episcopal Day School basketball team wasted little time in its contest with Prairie View Academy Friday night.

The Saints dominated the opening quarter 23-5, and continued to force turnovers and score easy baskets en route to an 80-38 win.

Nine players scored for the Saints, led by Garrett Vinson’s 16 points, and head coach Edwin White said the game gave him an opportunity to try a lot of different personnel groupings.

“We got to try different lineups, and I got to coach the players and give them different looks,” White said. “We’re just trying to find the right combination of guys.”

Pretty much every combination worked for the Saints Friday night. After jumping out to an 18-point lead after one quarter, Trinity scored 21 points in the second and third quarters to take a 65-26 lead into the final period. Vinson scored 11 of Trinity’s 15 points in the final period, and Trinity finished with a 42-point cushion.

White said the Saints are beginning to find their team chemistry heading into the stretch run of the regular season.

“We have some young 10th graders and freshman like Jaylen Fleming and Tommy McCoy, who are coming into their own,” he said.

McCoy finished with 13 points in the contest, and Fleming had seven. Dre McCoy and Wyatt Boothe each had 12 points for the Saints.

White said the Saints continue to improve defensively, and they played well on that end of the floor Friday.

White liked what he saw from his bench players Friday night, and that gave him a chance to coach his regular starters from the bench, give them some rest and get the bench guys more experience, he said.

Trinity (9-3) will host Cathedral School Tuesday.

Prairie View girls 55,

Trinity 20

The Trinity girls’ basketball team came out competitive against Prairie View Friday night and took a 15-13 lead into the second quarter.

But Prairie View dominated the second quarter 23-1 and cruised to a 55-20 victory over the Lady Saints.

After a tight first quarter, Prairie View outscored the Lady Saints by 22 in the second, 11 in the third and four in the fourth.

Murphy Aldridge led Trinity with seven points in the contest. Sloane Young had six points, and Marty Lewis finished with five.

The Lady Saints dropped to 0-12 and will host Cathedral School Tuesday.