The Loyd Star Hornets capture a big 73-49 win over the Pisgah Dragons Tuesday night in the opening round of the boys MHSAA Class State playoffs at Loyd Star Gymnasium.

The win advances Loyd Star (20-6) to the second round as they travel to Bay Springs Saturday to take the Bay Springs Bulldogs for the 7 p.m. showdown.

“This was a good win for us,” said Loyd Star coach Gene “Moochie” Britt. “The third quarter was the difference of the game. We shot the ball really well and our defense really step up to stop Pisgah’s momentum..

“In the first quarter, the guys played well, but we struggled in the second quarter which allowed Pisgah to stay in the game,” continued Britt. “We will have to correct that if we want to advance further in the playoffs as prepare for Bay Springs.”

“I also like to thanked the fans for coming out to support our guys,” added Britt. “We had a big crowd here to show their support and it was great. I like to encourage the fans to come out and support our girls as we take on Madison St. Joe Lady Bruins Thursday night.”

The Lady Hornets (19-6) will host the Lady Bruins Thursday night, starting at 7 p.m.

Loyd Star 73, Pisgah 49 

Loyd Star’s basketball fans gathered to Loyd Star Gymnasium Tuesday night to show their support for their boys and the Hornets did not disappoint the crowd.

In the opening quarter, the Hornets came out and quickly dominated the Pisgah Dragons to claim a 21-9 lead.

In the second quarter, the Dragons managed to capitalize on Loyd Star’s poor shooting performance to battle back into the contest with a 16-12 run to trailed the Hornets 33-25 at halftime.

In the second half, Loyd Star managed to rekindle the spark from the first quarter and clobbered the Dragons in the third quarter with a 24-9 explosion to lead 57-34 after three quarters of action.

In the final period of action, both teams traded baskets, but Loyd Star prevailed 16-15 to secured the win at 73-49.

Senior forward Edrick Alsworth powered the Hornets attack with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists. Levi Redd contributed 15 points, three assists and lead on the boards with eight rebounds. Brad Jasper chipped in with 14 points. Javion Beard provided eight points and had five rebounds. Caleb Yarborough scored six points and had seven assists.

Damien Watson was the offensive scoring leader for the Dragons with 14 points. Averyon Harris netted 13 points and Tabaris Evans had 12 points.