PELAHATCHIE – The Loyd Star Lady Hornets opened their season good note after clobbering the Pelahatchie Lady Dragons 41-28 Thursday night in basketball action.

Loyd Star returns to action Tuesday as they prepare to invade Bogue Chitto to battle the Bobcats and Lady Cats for three games. The junior varsity girls tip off the action at 5 p.m., followed by the girls and boys varsity action.

Loyd Star 41, Pelahatchie 28

The Loyd Star Lady Hornets managed to overcome a sluggish first half to conquer the Lady Dragons in the second half and give the season a great start for new head coach Gene “Moochie” Britt, who netted his first victory since taking over as the girls’ coach. He also continues as the Loyd Star boys’ coach.

The last time Britt coached girls’ basketball was at Brookhaven Academy 20 years ago.

Sophomore center Hannah Dickerson sparked the Lady Hornets’ charge with a game-high 16 points and five rebounds. Marcey Givens helped fuel the flames with 10 points, five rebounds, three steals and four assists. Jordan Shelby was the leader on the boards with nine rebounds.

“The girls played extremely well,” said Britt. “They did a great job handling Pelahatchie’s pressure all night. Offensively, we played really well, but we did not shoot free throws too great. Overall, I was pleased with their effort, but we still need to continue improving.”

Jamiyah Stokes and Jasmiah Collier were the offensive leaders for the Lady Dragons with a team-high six points apiece.