St. John of Gulfport came into Saturday’s Catholic Tournament finals as a top defensive team. Then they met St. Aloysius.

The Lady Flashes unleashed a staunch man-to-man defense that kept St. John in single digits until the fourth quarter. St. Al went on to post a 40-22 victory, earning its second tournament title this season while staying unbeaten at 8-0.

The St. Al boys, meanwhile, overcame a sluggish effort to subdue St. John 56-38 and win the boys championship.

St. Al coach Drew McBrayer credited his team’s pressure that helped dominate a Lady Eagle squad that was a preseason Top 5 pick in Class 1A.

&#8220The defense was great. We did a really good job, especially on Jill Beattie,” McBrayer said.

Beattie, St. John’s top scorer at nearly 18 points per game, was locked down by St. Al junior Sarah Kerut.

&#8220We’ve worked hard on becoming a good man-to-man team, and we’re now a lot better at it,” Kerut said.

Beattie actually scored the game’s first basket, handing St. John its only lead of the game at 2-0. That was also its only basket of the quarter.

&#8220Their man defense was really good and we couldn’t do much against it,” said St. John coach Patrick Guild. &#8220Jill couldn’t get started.”

St. Al reeled off the next 10 points to take command of the championship contest. A three-point play by Kerut was the key play in the run.

The Lady Flashes managed to find a bit of offense against the slow-playing Lady Eagles, getting a give-and-go basket by Kerut off a nice pass from Amy Beaugh. Annie Beaugh made an open 14-foot shot and then added two free throws for an 18-2 lead.

St. John finally ended its 12-minute drought with a free throw by Tresse Young that made it 18-3. It was 18-5 at the half.

Beattie made just her third field goal of the game to make it 20-9 but St. Al came back with a 6-0 run keyed by two free throws from Elizabeth Mazzanti.

Through three quarters it was 30-9 as St. John made just four of 20 shot attempts.

Annie Beaugh finished with 19 points while Kerut and Amy Beaugh had seven each.

Beattie ended with 10 to lead St. John, which beat defending 4A champion Bay St. Louis and played 5A Gulfport High to within four points in a 42-38 loss.

&#8220Knowing how well they’ve done against bigger schools gets me excited about our team for the rest of the season,” Kerut said.

(B) St. Al 56, St. John 38

After watching the St. John boys get crushed 63-34 by St. Joseph, a team that St. Al had beaten in overtime the night before, it was apparent the Flashes took the Eagles lightly.

It took until the fourth quarter before the Eagles (0-8) would go away.

&#8220We were kind of flat and just couldn’t get going,” said St. Al forward Chase Smith, who led the Flashes with 20 points. &#8220We started running more in the fourth quarter and got the lead into the teens.”

St. Al (6-2) led 14-10 after one quarter and 28-22 at the half. St. John stayed within four to six points for all of the third quarter and it was 38-32 going to the fourth.

There, St. Al finally got to a tiring Eagle team.

Chris Baer added 12 points and Marsh Willis had 10 for St. Al. Trey Laced paced St. John with 10.