The good news for Porter’s Chapel Academy’s basketball teams is that, no matter what happened in the MAIS District 3-3A tournament, they were guaranteed to advance to the next level of the postseason.

The bad news is that they’ll have to rely on that caveat.

PCA’s girls and boys teams both lost their first-round games in the district tournament on Thursday. The Lady Eagles fell 57-38 to Manchester, while the boys lost 78-66 to Delta Streets Academy.

Both teams will play in the consolation games Saturday at Benton Academy and try to salvage third place. The top four teams — all of those that played Thursday — advance to next week’s Class 3A North State tournament at Kemper Academy.

PCA’s girls’ team won the regular-season district title and were the No. 1 seed for the tournament, but foul trouble and a lack of depth derailed their hopes of adding the tournament championship as well.

PCA has five varsity players and three of those finished the game with four fouls. The Lady Eagles only scored five points in the second quarter and three in the fourth, and were outscored 35-8 in those two periods.

PCA also shot just 15-for-48 (31.3 percent) from the field, despite making seven 3-pointers. They were 1-for-4 from the free throw line.

Sophie Masterson led PCA (11-6) with 11 points and five rebounds. Marley Bufkin scored eight points, and Anjel Walton and Tiara Sims had seven apiece. Sims also grabbed seven rebounds. Her streak of eight consecutive games with at least 27 points came to an end.

Manchester’s Anna Riley Kelly made four 3-pointers and scored all 14 of her points in the fourth quarter. Presley Trammell led the Mavericks with 19 points.

Porter’s Chapel will face Benton Academy in the consolation game Saturday at 4 p.m.

Boys
Delta Streets 78, Porter’s Chapel 66
Kamron Hunt scored 12 of his 26 points in the first quarter, and Damean Sanders had nine of his 13 in the fourth as Delta Streets defeated Porter’s Chapel in the first round of the District 3-3A boys’ tournament.

Delta Streets beat PCA (12-6) for the first time in three meetings this season.

Ty Mack had 29 points and 10 rebounds for PCA, and Jase Jung scored 12 points. Lawson Selby finished with a double-double, with 10 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots.

Porter’s Chapel will play Manchester Academy in the consolation game Saturday at 5:15 p.m.