NATCHEZ &045; You’ll have to wait a little longer to see Robert Manson suit up again for Trinity Episcopal.

What would have been one heck of a coming out party for the 6-6 Australian exchange student won’t be when the Saints visit Adams Christian tonight in the second matchup of the crosstown showdown. Manson, who averaged 16 points and nine rebounds a season ago, is still awaiting clearance from the MPSA.

So the game will go on. The boys will tip off at 7:30 p.m. at ACCS after the girls’ game.

&uot;He’s not going to be able (to play) this week,&uot; Trinity head coach David King said. &uot;I think there’s an appeals process going on. It’s a unique situation, one of the most unique I’ve ever witnessed. They’re not quite sure what to do with him.&uot;

The appeals process is slated for Friday morning in Jackson. The debate is unnatural in nature &045; an exchange student who has returned for a second season with a school &045; after Manson played last season at Trinity, went back home to Australia and was set to transfer to a school in Colorado.

Those plans, however, didn’t materialize, and Manson transferred back to Trinity midway through the football season.

&uot;We’re not quite sure, and they’re not quite sure,&uot; King said. &uot;We’re hoping our appeal will go through Friday. They’ve been very cooperative with us, and they’ll come up with the correct ruling as they always do.&uot;

For folks attending tonight’s game, however, they may see Dustin Case suit up again for Adams Christian. The Rebels lost their team leader midway through the football season with a broken left arm, but the senior was set to have another evaluation Monday to see whether or not he could play today.

First-year head coach Kyle Smith said it may come down to a game-time decision.

&uot;He’s been practicing with us the last few days,&uot; Smith said. &uot;Hopefully he’ll be back. He’ll definitely be a big help offensively and defensively and will be a leader for us. He’s wanting to get out there and ready to get back playing again.&uot;

A healthy Case, in hindsight, could have changed the outcome of the first meeting of the two schools, a 59-43 Trinity win. The Rebels struggled big time in the first quarter and fell behind by 14 points before losing by 15 in the final margin.

The Rebels haven’t planned for Manson’s return for the simple reason they didn’t fare well defending two Trinity players that first game. Of the 59 points, Stevan Ridley and Gervoni Ware combined for 45.

&uot;We know we’ve go to take care of Gervoni and Ridley,&uot; Smith said. &uot;We’ve got our work cut out for us. They’re probably two of the best players we’ll see all year. We started off real slow in the first quarter, and that just hurt us big time. I think we played even with them pretty much the rest of the way.

&uot;We need to execute our plays. I think we executed poorly last time. Now we’ve kind of gotten used to each other, and we’re all on the same page.&uot;

The Rebels had inside guy Clay Gould get in foul trouble early in that game, but he still finished the game with 11 points. The Saints are still concerned about AC’s role players, namely Ray Simpson and Timmy Foster.

The three of them combined for 34 points in the first meeting.

&uot;We’re not a very good basketball team right now,&uot; King said. &uot;The Thanksgiving break hurt us, and we’re still getting the football out of them. It takes me a while to get my basketball knowledge back in check. We’re trying to build something of this team right now. I think this group can be like the groups we’ve had in the past.&uot;

Trinity girls at ACCS

The girls’ game in this matchup will be just as interesting as the boys, particularly since the Lady Saints took a win in that first meeting for the first time after losing all three meetings last season.

Yet the Lady Rebels are getting better each time out, and they may just need time on the floor.

&uot;We’ll go and play hard, and I hope that’s enough,&uot; AC head coach John Gray said. &uot;As young and inexperienced as we are, it’s going to take time. They’re working hard and getting better. If we can stop our turnovers. I’ve been pleased defensively with them.&uot;

The Lady Rebels’ defense will have to step up against Trinity top scorers Mallory Archer and Sierra Massey. Archer burned them with some 3-pointers late in the first game and finished with 15 points.