NATCHEZ — Trinity Episcopal’s Tanner Cage said he wanted the game badly, and Monday night, his actions proved it.

Cage tallied 24 points for the Saints en route to a 65-54 victory at Cathedral High School. It was the second meeting between the two schools in as many years, and Cage said he was pumped up for the game.

“I really wanted this game bad,” Cage said. “I had a lot of pressure up on me, and ever since we started basketball, I just wanted this game really bad. My teammates, all of us really wanted it.”

Trinity (11-3) started the game by hitting three, three-point baskets in a row, two by Taylor Strahan and one by Cage. Trinity hit two more three-pointers in the first, but The Green Wave (9-7) kept things close, trailing Trinity 20-19 after one.

Neither team scored much in the second quarter, with Cathedral cutting Trinity’s lead to 28-27 with 2:02 left in the half thanks to a field goal by Khalil Brice. Trinity was finally able to sink a bucket again with eight seconds left in the second when Cage hit a three-point shot to give the Saints a 31-27 halftime lead.

With nine of his 24 points caming from beyond the arc, Cage said he was able to maintain his composure despite Green Wave defenders constantly being in his face.

“You have to keep your cool, that’s all,” Cage said. “You just have to know how to dribble the ball. I thank God for my dad (Renard Cage) because when I wanted to go outside and play with my friends, he had me outside dribbling early in the morning.”

Trinity started the third quarter off slowly, with Cathedral hitting five field goals in the first four minutes of the period. But Trinity’s three-point shooting continued to impress, as Cage and Strahan each sank shots from downtown. Cage added a layup, and Trinity led 39-37 with 4:12 left in the third.

The Saints took over late in the third, holding Cathedral to just three points in the final four minutes and taking a 52-41 lead into the final period. Cathedral tried to make a run late in the game and managed to make it 59-52 Trinity with less than a minute to play. But the Saints were six of six in free throw shooting in the final 45 seconds after Cathedral started to foul.

Trinity finished the evening with nine three-pointers, something Green Wave coach Peter Arnold said ultimately cost his team the win.

“They shot the ball way better than we did,” Arnold said. “I don’t know how many threes they made, but it was significant.”

Trinity’s Sky Logan finished with 10 points and six rebounds. Trae McKenzie had eight points and 10 rebounds, and Strahan finished with nine points.

Cathedral was led in scoring by Carl Hammitte, who tallied 16 points and six rebounds. Caleb Upton added 12 points for the Green Wave.

Trinity girls 47, Cathedral 25

Rosie Woods scored 21 points for the Lady Saints as they took care of business against Cathedral.

Patsy Coffey added 11 points for Trinity, which led 25-13 at intermission. Ginny Daggett had six points for Cathedral, and Taylor Beesley added five points.

Trinity (7-7) will host Prairie View Academy today, while Cathedral (2-13) will host rival St. Aloysius Friday.