BROOKHAVEN — The Adams County Christian School Rebels had plenty to celebrate on Valentine’s Day after routing the Central Hinds Academy Cougars 67-33 Saturday night to win the boys’ championship of the MAIS Class AA South State Tournament at Brookhaven Academy.

In a battle of the top two teams in District 5-AA — second-ranked and No. 1 seed ACCS and No. 2 seed Central Hinds — the Rebels took control from the start with its defense leading to offense. And if head coach Richy Spears had any concerns possibly the Cougars pulling off an upset, he shouldn’t have.

“We played them three times previously this season and beat them three times. I was concerned about a letdown, but we didn’t have one,” Spears said. “We took care of business. Everything we do starts with defense. We tried to get out in transition and get some easy baskets.”

ACCS led Central Hinds 18-9 after one quarter of play and 35-18 at halftime. The second half was pretty much more of the same as the Rebels continued their domination of the Cougars.

The inside presence of Brandon Brooks also was a contributing factor in this game. Brooks led all scorers with 16 points. Another player who stepped up for the Rebels was Devin Spear, who finished with 15 points.

“Devin just got out on the break. He got out in front of people for lay-ups. He made a couple of threes as well. He was in the right spot at the right time,” Spears said.

The Rebels put up 17 points in the third quarter and 15 in the fourth while limiting the Cougars to just seven in the third and eight in the fourth.

“They came out ready to play. They did a good job. I thought we defended well tonight,” Spears said. “I’m just happy for the kids. They’re real excited. We’re going to carry this momentum on to next week.”

Four members of the Rebels’ team made the all-tournament team — Brooks, Spear, Jay Fleming, and Lester Wells.

Wells — made all tour.

ACCS (26-3) will take on Riverfield Academy in the first round of the Class AA State Tournament at Canton Academy next Tuesday or Wednesday at a time to be determined. Riverfield lost to Indianola Academy 58-53 Saturday afternoon in the consolation game of the Class AA North State Tournament.

Bowling Green School girls 60, ACCS 42

BROOKHAVEN — The Bowling Green School Lady Buccaneers would not be denied their second MAIS Class AA South State Tournament championship in three seasons as they defeated the Adams County Christian School Lady Rebels 60-42 Saturday afternoon at Brookhaven Academy.

ACCS, the District 5-AA champion and ranked No. 4 in Class AA, was unable to overcome a turnover-plagued first half and a 19-point halftime deficit to District 6-AA champion and second-ranked Bowling Green.

“We just came up short in the first half. We had a lot of turnovers from the press. As I always say in victory or defeat, to God be the Glory,” Lady Rebels head coach Melanie Hall said.

Led by Ashley Foret and Holli Waskom, the Lady Buccaneers jumped out to a 19-7 lead over the Lady Rebels at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter wasn’t much better for ACCS as it was outscored by Bowling Green 17-10 and went into halftime down 36-17. Foret led all scorers with 18 points and Waskom finished with 15 points.

Hall said that Bowling Green ran a full-court press for the entire ball game. It worked real well in the first half, but ACCS was able to play better against it in the second half. The Lady Rebels outscored the Lady Buccaneers 10-9 in the third quarter, but the big halftime deficit was too much to make up. Both teams put up 15 points in the fourth quarter.

“I was proud of the girls for battling and never quitting,” Hall said. “We’re getting closer. We’re getting close. If we put four good quarters together, we’re going to have a lot of fun. When we executed, we got our lay-ups. When we didn’t, it was ugly.”

Jordan Petty had a double-double for ACCS (26-7) with team-highs of 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Three members of the Lady Rebels made the all-tournament team — Bailey Boyd, who had 11 points in the title game, Anna McDaniel, and McKenzie Boyd.

“I can’t say enough about this team. They’re very unselfish and I’m thankful to be a part of it,” Hall said. “There were a lot of positives to take from this game. When we do what we do and do it together offensively and defensively, good things happen.”

Next up for the Lady Rebels is the MAIS Class AA State Tournament at Canton Academy on either Tuesday or Wednesday at a time to be determined. Their first-round opponent will be North No. 3 seed Winston Academy, which defeated Oak Hill Academy 44-27 in the consolation game Saturday afternoon.

Trinity Episcopal girls 58, Tensas Academy 38

HAYNESVILLE, La. — Jasmine Ivory led all scorers with 16 points and Sloane Young added 11 points as the Trinity Episcopal Lady Saints defeated the Tensas Academy Lady Chiefs 58-38 Saturday afternoon in the third-place game of the MAIS Class A South State Tournament at Claiborne Academy.

In a match-up of the top two teams in District 7-A — Trinity Episcopal the No. 1 seed and Tensas Academy the No. 2 seed — the Lady Saints got contributions from several players and used a stifling defense against the Lady Chiefs.

“We did a great job. We did a lot of pressing. Just hard defense and we had a lot of steals,” Lady Saints head coach Fay Minor said. “We made seven three-pointers and they didn’t get any. We jumped out to a lead and we kept it.”

The Lady Saints had a 16-8 lead over the Lady Chiefs after one quarter of play and continued to add to their lead as the game went on. Minor said the inside presence of Ivory on both ends of the court was a key factor.

“Our big girl worked the paint real well. She did an excellent job of scoring and defense,” Minor said. “It was our defense that really kept us in the game. That’s where most of our points came from.”

Trinity Episcopal held Tensas Academy to 10 points in each of the final three quarters while scoring 15, 13, and 14 points, respectively.

Dionna Jackson finished with 10 points and D’Asia Mitchell chipped in with nine points for the Lady Saints. Both Ivory and Mitchell were named to the all-tournament team.

Trinity Episcopal will be the South No. 3 seed heading into the Class A State Tournament at Rebul Academy in Learned. The Lady Saints will take on Briarfield Academy in a first-round game at a day (Monday or Tuesday) and time to be determined. Briarfield Academy lost to Marshall Academy 52-37 in the Class A North State championship game to be the North No. 2 seed.