NATCHEZ &8212; An undermanned Cathedral squad lost 71-51 to Loyd Star in a game that wasn&8217;t as close as the score would indicate.

&8220;We were just outclassed and lost to a good team,&8221; Cathedral coach Peter Arnold said. &8220;This is the best team I&8217;ve ever seen them have.&8221;

According to Arnold, the loss couldn&8217;t be attributed to the fact that the Green Wave didn&8217;t have any bench players &8212; they were simply outplayed.

&8220;I want (the football team) to keep on playing,&8221; Arnold said. &8220;Five is enough to play basketball. Ultimately though, I still think we were a little winded from having played on Monday. They gave us 32 minutes of 84-foot basketball tonight and we showed we were tired.&8221;

But for all the woe being felt by the home crowd, Arnold actually cracked a smile for the resilience shown by the team.

&8220;There was nothing negative about this game,&8221; Arnold said. &8220;For only having five players, I&8217;m extremely proud. My guys were warriors and finished strong tonight. It was obvious by the end of the first half that this game was over. We went man on man with them for four quarters.&8221;

The Green Wave trailed 43-22 going into halftime, but Arnold said he never worried about the score.

The game was close in the opening four minutes, with the Green Wave actually jumping out to a 6-4 lead; but from there it was all down hill, as the team trailed 61-28 at the end of the third period.

In the fourth period, Cathedral rallied against the Loyd Star bench, outscoring the Hornets 23-10 down the final eight minutes. Juan Gray was largely responsible for the rally, as he collected 19 of his game-high 35 points in the final quarter.

&8220;Juan scored a bunch there at the end,&8221; Arnold said. &8220;When we play a normal team you&8217;ll see that when doers well, we&8217;ll do well.&8221;

Next Tuesday, Cathedral will play Wesson at home.