BEAUMONT — A trend has continued in the Port Arthur Memorial-Beaumont Central rivalry: For the past three games now, the visiting team has won.

Thailan Wesley sank five of Memorial’s eight three-point shots, and Central was cold on its own floor all Tuesday evening as the visiting Titans took a 61-52 win.

Good thing the fourth-ranked Titans can shoot from outside. Both teams defended the paint heavily for 32 minutes.

“The bottom line is, we should have been attacking the basket,” Memorial coach Kenneth Coleman said. “We know we can shoot the three. Sometimes, you’re on. Sometimes, you’re not.”

Wesley, who averaged 26.4 points in Memorial’s James Gamble Classic last week, scored 29 points to lead all scorers. He also made 8 of 8 free throws.

“There’s a difference between being just a shooter and a scorer, because [Wesley] can take the ball to the basket,” Coleman said. “He can make some things happen.”

Jamyus Jones finished with 16 points and was the only other Titan in double figures.

The Titans (15-5, 2-0 in 22-5A), winners of seven straight, took Round 1 of a two-game series between defending district co-champions, building on a 10-0 lead to start things off.

“They made some shots,” Central coach Franklin Paul said. “We made a couple of defensive breakdowns. You step out and you get a [10-0] deficit, and you lose by nine. That’s the difference in the ballgame.”

Central (9-6, 1-1) got to within three points on three different occasions in the first half and made a 7-0 rally — scoring off two consecutive steals — to pull within 56-52 with 1:56 remaining. The Titans turned the ball over with 1:14 left and a four-point lead, but the Jaguars could not find an outside stroke to make it one-possession game. The Titans made 5 of 6 free throws the rest of the way to seal the deal.

“I thought we showed some resilience,” Coleman said. “I had one of my point guards sitting out. That hurt us. [Darion] Chatman didn’t have one of his better performances tonight. So, when you come to somebody else’s house, you just want to win.”

Chatman was held to three points before fouling out.

Kasen Harrison had 14 points and Byron Arceneaux 12 for the Jaguars.

Memorial will host Lumberton on Friday night.

I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews