Every time the Porters Chapel Eagles face CM&I, they get a little closer to beating the state powerhouse from Jackson.

Last season, the Eagles were usually blown out by halftime. Earlier this season, they played them tough for an entire half. And on Monday night, PCA stuck with the Crusaders for nearly three quarters before succumbing to a devastating onslaught.

CM&I hit 9 of its first 11 shots in the fourth quarter and outscored PCA 33-9 over the last 10 minutes of the game to claim a 71-47 victory.

Curtis Bailey came off the bench to score a game-high 23 points for CM&I (15-3, 10-0 District 4-A), which has never lost to PCA since joining the Mississippi Private School Association in 2000.

&#8220We went over to Jackson and played them for a half, then came out in the third quarter flat. We played them here, and played three quarters with them and then ran out of gas in the third quarter. We’re building up,” PCA coach Jim DeLaughter said.

Matt Brown added 16 points for CM&I and Jon Hardy scored 13. Hayden Hales had 20 points and Cole Smith scored 10 for PCA (11-5, 6-2), which led early and kept the game close deep into the third quarter.

CM&I led 32-25 at halftime, but PCA chipped away at the deficit throughout the third period. Hales scored seven points in a 15-6 run that ended with Smith’s basket to tie the game at 38 with 2:20 to play in the third.

CM&I got a long outlet pass from Brown to Sylvester Horton for an easy layup on the other end to regain the lead, however, and never trailed again. The basket started a 6-2 run for the Crusaders to end the third quarter, and they outscored the Eagles 16-2 over the first 4 1/2 minutes of the fourth to take a 62-42 lead.

&#8220When they give you a chance, you can’t waste it and wait for them to give you another one, because you’ll be waiting a long time,” DeLaughter said.

CM&I eventually stretched the lead to as many as 26 points, at 69-43, before clearing the bench with 2 minutes to play.

&#8220We usually win the third quarter. And unfortunately, today somebody took the third quarter from us,” CM&I coach Dennis Williams said. &#8220I told my team that if we didn’t pick the pace up, then tomorrow there was going to be punishment – a lot of running. They understood that.”

(G) PCA 44, CM&I 24.

Lauren Johnson scored all of her game-high 16 points in the first half, and Porters Chapel forced CM&I into 38 turnovers in a rout of the Lady Crusaders.

Brittany Bradley scored nine points for CM&I (1-16, 1-11), which did not score more than eight points in any quarter. PCA was not particularly sharp – it shot just 31 percent from the field and scored 12 of its 28 first-half points from the foul line – but still seized control early.

Johnson scored nine points in the first period as PCA (5-10, 4-4) took a 12-4 lead, and the Lady Eagles stretched it to 28-9 at halftime.