Smith’s clutch free throws lift Lady Hornets over Lady Bears

West Lincoln’s senior duo of Ronnie Edwards and Keshaun London powered the Bears to a 75-60 win over the Loyd Star Hornets in Thursday’s nightcap of the Lincoln County Tournament at Jack Case Gymnasium.

In the girls’ contest, Loyd Star’s Makenzie Smith hit two clutch free throws with 12 seconds left to lift the Lady Hornets past the Lady Bears 41-40.

Tournament action continues today as Loyd Star battles Enterprise at 4 and 5:30 p.m. West Lincoln entertains Bogue Chitto in the nightcap at 7 and 8:30 p.m.

Lady Hornets 41, Lady Bears 40 

In the first half, the Lady Bears (7-4) claimed an early lead, taking a 23-15 margin into halftime.

In the third quarter, Loyd Star outscored West Lincoln 13-5 to tie the game at 28-28 with a minute left in the period.

In the final period, the Lady Hornets (3-1) extended their lead, but the Lady Bears battled back to reclaim the lead 40-39 lead in the closing seconds. With 12 seconds left, Smith was fouled while trying to score in the paint. She nailed two clutch free throws to give her Lady Hornets a 41-40 win.

West Lincoln made three attempts to score the winning basket in the final seconds, but the shot would not fall as the buzzer sounded.

“The girls did a great job rallying back in the second half to get the win,” said Loyd Star coach Gene “Moochie” Britt. “I was very proud of my girls’ efforts and I’m glad to get the win.”

Makenzie Smith directed the Lady Hornets’ scoring with 19 points and nine rebounds. Hannah Dickerson chipped in with 10 points and grabbed six rebounds. Caylee Yarborough provided eight points. Lydia Britt and Jordan Shelby had two points each.

Jana Case powered the Lady Bears’ offense with 15 points and four rebounds. Hanna Moak contributed 10 points and had five rebounds. Demesha Deer was the leader on the boards with eight rebounds and she scored five points. Layton Sills also scored five points and had three rebounds. Alli had three points and grabbed seven points. Skylar Hall added two points.

“We played really well in the first half, but we struggled to make our shots in the second half,” said West Lincoln coach Lane Young. “In the fourth quarter, we had our chances to win but we could not make the plays that we needed to get the win at the end.”

West Lincoln 75, Loyd Star 60 

West Lincoln came out strong to begin the first quarter as the Bears secured a 14-9 lead. They increased their lead in the second period with a 20-11 run to take a 34-20 advantage into halftime.

In the second half, both teams played in a evenly matched contest with West Lincoln winning the scoring battle 41-40 to secure the win.

“We shot the ball really well in the first half,” said Young. “In the second half, we let our guard down and Loyd Star did a good job rallying back. In the final period, we managed to make the plays that we needed to collect the win.”

Ronnie Edwards sparked the Bears with a game-high double-double of 37 points and 11 rebounds. Keshaun London also contributed a double-double performance of 26 points and 10 rebounds. Adam Martinez netted seven points and had five rebounds. Le’Darrius Jones scored five points.

Loyd Star had four players to score in double figures as Levi Redd led the charge with a double-double performance on 18 points and 10 rebounds. Jacion Beard chipped in with 17 points. Patrick Price netted 12 points and had six rebounds. Avery Leggett provided 11 points. Cade Hodges scored two points.

“We shot the ball poorly and we did not hustle tonight,” said Britt. “West Lincoln jumped on us early in the first half and we did not answered their challenge. In the second half, we played a lot better, but we could not overcome West Lincoln’s large lead to get the win.”