Loyd Star captured two big division victories over West Lincoln Tuesday night in Region 7-2A basketball action at Jack Case Gymnasium.

In the girls’ contest, the Lady Hornets (14-1, 6-0) defeated the Lady Bears (12-9, 3-3) 50-29.

In boys’ action, the Hornets (8-7, 4-2) prevailed over West Lincoln 61-50.

Loyd Star continues division action Friday as it travels to Bassfield to battle the Yellowjackets in three games. Junior varsity action begins at 5 p.m., followed by the varsity games at 6 and 7:30 p.m.

West Lincoln will also be in action Friday as it hosts the Prentiss Bulldogs for two varsity games. The girls tip off at 6, followed by the boys at 7:30 p.m.

Lady Hornets 50, Lady Bears 29 

Loyd Star commanded a 17-12 lead at halftime and outscored the Lady Bears 33-17 in the final two periods to secure the win.

“We played really well offensively and defensively,” said Loyd Star coach Gene “Moochie” Britt. “Overall, I was very pleased with our effort.”

Hannah Dickerson powered the Lady Hornets’ offense with 19 points and six rebounds. Makenzie Smith contributed 11 points and had eight rebounds. Faith Bergeron provided six points. Lydia Britt added five points. Jordan Shelby netted four points and grabbed eight rebounds. Toni Banks scored three points and Caylee Yarborough finished with two points.

Hanna Moak was the top scorer for the Lady Bears with seven points and five rebounds. Alli Mullins and Skylar Hall contributed six points each. Jana Case netted four points. Layton Sills, Carly Holden and Demesha Deer finished with two points apiece.

“Loyd Star did a great job both offensively and defensively,” said West Lincoln coach Lane Young. “We were not ready to play and that is my fault.”

Loyd Star 61, West Lincoln 50

The Hornets and the Bears (13-8, 3-3) battled in a back-and-forth contest with Loyd Star securing a 28-26 lead at halftime.

Loyd Star outscored West Lincoln 33-24 in the final two quarters to secure the win.

“The guys played really well offensively and defensively, “said Britt. “In the second, we crashed the boards to eliminate West Lincoln’s second chance opportunities and forced them to shoot from the outside. Overall, I was pleased with our effort, but we still need to cut out careless turnovers.”

Loyd Star had four players to score in double figures as Greg Hooks and Levi Redd led the pace with 14 points each. Hooks was also the leader on the boars with nine rebounds, while Redd had seven rebounds. Javion Beard contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Avery Leggett provided 10 points. Cade Hodges netted nine points. Patrick Price finished with two points.

Ronnie Edwards directed the Bears with 18 points and six rebounds. Keshaun London provided 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Adam Martinez netted eight points and had eight rebounds. Donterrius Taylor scored six points. Dominique Chism and Jaden Rushing had two points each.

“Both teams played hard through four quarters of action,” said Young. “Loyd Star made some key shots at the end to secure the win. We missed too many shots inside the lane.”

In junior varsity action, the West Lincoln Lady Bears edged the Loyd Star Lady Hornets 28-26.

Morgan Newman paced the Lady Bears with nine points. Megan Gerald scored eight points and Skylar Hall had six points.

Christie Patterson and Kaylea Smith directed the Lady Hornets’ offense with seven points each. Katie West netted six points.