The great career of Loyd Star head coach Gene Britt continued Friday night as he picked up his 603rd win as the coach of the Lady Hornets. Britt was recognized after the game in front of the crowd for reaching his 600th win earlier in the week.

“I would like to thank each school that gave me the opportunity to coach, each team that believed in me and each other, and every girl— starter or sub that practiced and played so hard so we could earn those 600 wins,” Loyd Star head coach Gene Britt said.

Britt could also reach 600 wins for the boys when it’s all said and done. The long-time coach stands at 571 career wins for the Hornets and the milestone could be reached within the next two seasons of coaching.

Britt’s Lady Hornets won a close game against Prentiss for win 603 by a score of 55-49 while the Hornets fell against the Prentiss Bulldogs 55-40.

Lady Hornets 55, Lady Bulldogs 49

The Lady Hornets came out the gates strong on a 6-0 run to take the early lead. The Lady Bulldogs cut into the Loyd Star lead, and trailed 10-8 going into the second quarter.

With the Lady Hornets up 22-16, Prentiss wouldn’t go into halftime without a fight. The Lady Bulldogs nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to trail 24-21 going into the break.

It was the Prentiss defense that took advantage of turnovers to start the third quarter and took their first lead of the game 26-24. The lead didn’t last long, as Loyd Star quickly followed up drilling a three and later took a 37-32 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Lady Bulldogs continued to cut into the Loyd Star lead, but the Lady Hornets were able to escape with a 55-49 victory.

The Lady Hornets were led by senior forward Makenzie Smith with a game-high 30 points. Senior guard Lydia Britt chipped in with 12 points. Seniors Faith Bergeron and Caylee Yarborough each had five points on the night as well.

The Lady Bulldogs were led by sophomore Jakera Madison with 19 points.

Prentiss 55, Loyd Star 40

The Prentiss Bulldogs came out strong to start the game on a 7-0 run before Loyd Star junior guard Cade Hodges hit a three-pointer to get Loyd Star on the board. Loyd Star would claw back at the end of the quarter, but trailed Prentiss 10-8.

Prentiss would have the upper hand in the second quarter thanks to rebounding and creating turnovers to take a 26-18 lead going into halftime.

Trailing by 10 in the third, Loyd Star fought back to cut the Prentiss lead to four, but the Bulldogs answered back and led 34-28 heading to the fourth quarter.

With Loyd Star cutting the Bulldog lead to only three points in the fourth, Prentiss took control of the game from there by forcing turnovers and turning them into points. The Bulldogs outscored Loyd Star 21-12 in the fourth and won 55-40.

Loyd Star was led by senior guard Zach Arnold with a team-high 14 points on the night. Sophomore forward Dane Smith followed up with 13 points and junior guard Cade Hodges chipped in eight points.

Prentiss was led by senior guard Tim McNair Jr. with 19 points junior Ronald Baker scored 13 points.

Loyd Star will play Amite County on the road Tuesday.