NATCHEZ — A 15-3 spurt bridged between the third and fourth periods was just the rally Cathedral High School needed to edge past Adams County Christian School 50-43 in boys basketball action Thursday night.

The Green Wave (12-4, 4-1) trailed 14-6 at the end of the first quarter, but managed to take a 32-27 lead heading into the final period.

“It always starts with defense,” Cathedral coach Peter Arnold said. “We weren’t just very aggressive (early on), but the offense picked up a little after the first quarter.”

At the center of the Green Wave’s rally was Connor Mire, who finished with a team-high 12 points.

“We switched some things around and had two of our big men playing down low,” Mire said. “We talked at halftime about coming out and playing as a team and playing better defense.”

James Allen Coley and Jadarius Anderson each chipped in with 10 points apiece for Cathedral.

The Rebels (8-5, 2-3) rode the momentum they built in the first period to control a 20-17 halftime advantage.

“You have to play the whole time,” ACCS coach Richy Spears said. “I thought we played well at times, but you have to play the whole game.”

Cathedral’s big second-half rally pushed its advantage to double figures, 38-27, in the early stages of the fourth quarter.

Yet ACCS wouldn’t go away quietly as it trimmed the deficit to as small as three with 57 seconds to play.

“I thought the last 3 1/2 minutes we hustled and got back in it,” Spears said. “But you have to play that way the whole time. You have to take care of the basketball and rebound.”

But that’s as close as the Rebels would come.

“That’s kind of what happened the first time we played them; it was a very similar game,” Arnold said. “It was very close, and we had a spurt, but then we kind of went stupid at the end — missing free throws and fouling.

“The second game back after the break, all you want to do is scratch out one more point than the other team.”

Andrew Ratcliff led the Rebels with 15 points while Devin Spear chipped in with 10 points.

ACCS will travel to Simpson Academy today, while Cathedral will be back in action Tuesday when it travels to Mississippi School for the Deaf.

ACCS (girls) 65, Cathedral 35

Bailey Boyd poured in a game-high 26 points and Adams County Christian School raced past Cathedral High School 65-35 in girls basketball Thursday.

The Lady Rebels (12-4, 4-1) dominated the action from the opening tip through the final whistle.

“I thought it was a very good team win,” ACCS coach Melanie Hall said. “We’re very blessed; we have a lot of young ladies that play a vital piece to this team, and we they bring the peace they have and put it together, it’s fun to watch.”

Boyd had plenty of help along the way as eight separate ACCS players scored, including McKenzie Boyd, who finished with nine points.

“We give God the glory for everything,” Hall said. “And this is the most depth in my coaching that I’ve ever had.”

Elizabeth Smith led Cathedral (12-4, 2-3) with a team-high 12 points while Marty Lewis chipped in with eight points.

“They just outplayed us,” said Arnold, who also serves as the girls coach. “They were more aggressive. We had a very negative look about us, and we didn’t play with the confidence that we had been playing with.”

After controlling a 31-16 halftime lead, the Lady Rebels continued their attack in the second half, outscoring the Lady Green Wave 22-12 in the third period.

“That was vital,” Hall said. “At times throughout the year, we have not done that … We’re just going to continue to build from here and continue to have fun playing the game of basketball together.”

ACCS 50, Brookhaven 38 (Tuesday’s results)

Despite trailing 22-21 at halftime and on the road, Adams County Christian School rebounded strongly in the final two periods to emerge with a 50-38 road win over Brookhaven High School Tuesday night.

Devin Spear led the Rebels with 21 points while Brody Cole chipped in with 14.