The Loyd Star Hornets suffered a disappointing loss Tuesday night in district play as they fell to the Prentiss Bulldogs by a score of 52-40. It was a tough loss for the Hornets as they entered the game on a five-game winning streak; three of those wins came in district play.

Prentiss came in the game aggressive and it showed as the Bulldogs took 30 attempts from the free throw line throughout the game, compared to only four attempts for Loyd Star. The Hornets will have to regroup quick as they have another opportunity tonight in the district against Amite County.

“We played hard in a very physical game Tuesday night,” Loyd Star head coach Gene Britt said. “Shots just did not fall in the last quarter, but it was a good team effort.”

Loyd Star trailed 35-34 entering the fourth quarter against Prentiss, but got outscored 17-6 in the final quarter and gave Prentiss the victory.

It was an off night shooting for the team all around. Sophomore forward Dane Smith was the leading scorer for Loyd Star with 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field with four rebounds. Senior point guard Zach Arnold had an off night as well, scoring nine points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field with three assists and three rebounds to add on.

The team shot 41 percent overall for the game, but went cold in the fourth quarter when the game mattered most. Off nights will happen in basketball, but the Hornet will try to end this recent scoring slide tonight when they face Amite County in an important district matchup.

Loyd Star currently trails Enterprise in the 2A Region 7 standings at 8-6 overall. With Enterprise beating West Lincoln Tuesday night, the Hornets need a win tonight to keep pace with the Yellow Jackets.

The Amite County Trojans have struggled this season to say the least, coming into the game at 1-14 overall and trail by a wide margin in the district standings. Their one win of the season came last week on the road at Enterprise by a score of 49-39, so this team is capable of winning district games and are able to beat anyone in their district.

This will be a big test for Loyd Star if they want to regain momentum in the standings and show their resiliency after a tough loss.

Loyd Star Lady Hornets

The Loyd Star Lady Hornets took care of business Tuesday night against Prentiss and won easily 60-34. The win moved the Lady Hornets to 13-1 overall and maintained their second place spot in the district only behind undefeated Bassfield.

“We played extremely well, we executed our offense well which opened up inside shots,” Britt said after the win Tuesday. “Prentiss is a very quick and physical team with a deep bench.”

Three Lady Hornets scored in double figures Tuesday night, led by senior forward Mackenzie Smith with 15 points on an efficient 7-for-9 from the field.

The play of Smith and the balanced scoring from the rest of the roster has made Loyd Star dominant throughout the season and that balanced attack will give the Lady Hornets a distinct advantage tonight against Amite County.

The Amite County Lady Trojans have also struggled this season, entering the matchup tonight at 3-17 overall and trail in the district standings. Amite County stands at 1-3 in district play with their sole win coming against Enterprise last week.

If the balanced scoring and great defensive play continues for the Lady Hornets they should roll tonight in this important district matchup.