NATCHEZ — Trinity Episcopal Day School sophomore Brandon Brooks was a force on the inside for the Saints Tuesday night.

Brooks piled up 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead Trinity to a 72-60 victory over Adams County Christian School.

“Brandon has come a long way,” Trinity head coach Edwin White said. “He didn’t have much basketball experience, but as we spend more time working with him, he’s becoming a more refined player.”

The win pushed Trinity to 5-0 and gave the Saints’ five seniors a win in their final home game, something White was very happy about, he said.

“This senior group is probably the best group of kids I’ve ever coached,” White said. “They are athletically gifted, and their team chemistry is one of the best I’ve ever seen before. They have a mutual love for each other, and they’ve been a joy to watch.”

The cross-town rivals were locked in a battle through one half of play. Trinity led by eight at halftime, but the Saints used a big third quarter to pull away enough to secure a victory. Trinity outscored the Rebels 24-7 in the third.

“I don’t know if it’s legs, or what it is, but we have to get past (tough quarters),” ACCS head coach Richie Spears said.

While the Rebels were trying to figure things out, Trinity came out firing on all cylinders.

“We had a lot of energy and came out with a sense of urgency,” White said.

ACCS found plenty of scoring in the fourth quarter. The Rebels outscored Trinity 28-15 in the final frame, but it was not enough for a comeback. Trey Fleming led the Rebels with 17 points. Tyler Stockstill had 12, and Ryan Strong finished with 11.

“It’s frustrating to me for the kids,” Spears said. “I just want something good to happen for them. We’ve been in a lot of these games against tough teams, but we haven’t finished.

“The effort was there. It’s been there every night. We just didn’t rebound and finish shots, and Trinity is a good ball team, everybody knows that.”

Trinity used nine different players in the game, and White said he is mixing the lineup by design.

“Our second string guys are getting some experience,” he said. “Every game is a learning experience, and it’s good to get the guys in different situations. We don’t want to depend on just one guy.”

Garrett Vinson scored 16 points for Trinity. Dre McCoy added 12, Sky Logan scored eight, Jaylen Fleming had seven and Wyatt Boothe finished with six.

Trinity (19-5, 5-0) will travel to face Brookhaven Academy for the district title Friday. ACCS (8-16, 1-4) will finish its regular season Thursday at home against Columbia Academy.

ACCS girls 55, Trinity 16

Tory Laird did enough on her own for the ACCS girls’ basketball team to get a win Tuesday night, but the support of the rest of her teammates allowed the Lady Rebels to cruise to a 55-16 win over Trinity.

Laird finished with 19 points, and Nikki Worthey chipped in with 16 to Leady the Lady Rebels.

ACCS wasted little time in putting the game away. The Lady Rebels jumped out to a 22-3 lead at the end of one quarter and led 35-7 at halftime.

Senior Murphy Aldridge led the way for Trinity with six points in her final home contest.

ACCS (11-15, 3-2) will host Columbia Academy Thursday. Trinity (0-22, 0-5) will face Brookhaven Academy Friday night.