Tyler Ellis of Porters Chapel pulls down a rebound in front of Tri-County’s Chris Queen. (The Vicksburg Post/MELANIE DUNCAN)

Tri-County Academy showed few effects of its late start.

The Rebels (1-0), who canceled their first five games because the football team was playing in the state championship, had three players score in double figures in beating Porters Chapel (0-8), 68-56, Monday night.

“It’s tough losing five games,” Rebels coach Joe Wofford said. “But it was for a good reason. Anytime our school is in the state championship, everyone is proud of what went on.”

Tri-County’s Brandon Rennicker scored 14 and Jarrad Creel netted 13 in the post. Guard Stampley Perry scored 12.

“We’re pretty much using this week as an experiment to try and find five or six guys that can play,” said Wofford, who had 10 of his 11 players on the football field this season. “The way it looks now, we have 10 or 11.”

Andrew Embry led four Eagles in double figures with 15 points, while Joseph Ivey scored 13 and Chris Angel added 10. Trey White nailed four 3-pointers and finished with 12.

It was the lack of PCA’s defense that had coach Roger Browning run his team on the court during halftime.

“We stunk on defense all night long,” Browning said. “We didn’t know where our men were, we didn’t hustle on defense and we didn’t block out. They got six or seven shots per trip and we got one.”

After trailing for most of the first half, White hit a 3-pointer to knot the score at 21 with five minutes to play before halftime, but Tri-County went on a 10-3 run to end the half to hold a 31-24 lead.

Browning, who said he’s only made a team of his run during the halftime break once before, wanted to spark his charges.

“I told them if they didn’t respond, I’d run them again at the end of the third quarter,” Browning said. “… I shook them up at halftime and they responded. They did a lot better job hustling and playing defense in the second half.”

The Eagles, behind the long-range shooting of White, Angel and Richard Carroll pulled to within six points early in the fourth quarter. Tri-County, however, responded each time again, building the lead to double figures with four minutes to play and never relinquishing the advantage.

PCA will play at Central Hinds Tuesday at 6 p.m.

(G) PCA 69, Tri-County 33

K.K. Willis scored a game-high 30 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had four steals as the Lady Eagles (7-3) made quick work of the Lady Rebels (0-5).

Senior E.J. Willis added 20 points 14 in the first quarter 10 rebounds and five steals in leading PCA to a 29-8 lead after the first quarter.

E.J. Willis’ 3-pointer one of four on the night to end the first quarter gave the hosts a 21-point lead.

“They are by far one of the best girls teams in the state and it’s hard to play against them,” Wofford said. “We have a weakness of getting the basketball up the court and when you play a team like that, you have to be able to beat a press.”

Porters Chapel substituted liberally in the second quarter and scored just nine points, but still held a 38-18 advantage at the half.

“I thought we came out a little sluggish early,” first-year Lady Eagles coach Mitchell Willis said. “We weren’t blocking out well on offense and not playing the type of defense we need to play.”

Against the winless Lady Rebels, PCA was in little danger. PCA upped the pressure in the third quarter, opening up a 58-23 lead at the end of the third.