The Loyd Star Lady Hornets and the West Lincoln Bears captured victories in the opening round of the Lincoln County Round-Robin Tournament Thursday night in Enterprise’s new gym.

In the girls game, the Lady Hornets (7-2) managed to hold off the Lady Bears’ late rally to secure a 38-32 win.

In boys action, the Bears (7-1) relied on their high-octane offense to maul the Hornets 76-54.

Tournament action continues today at Enterprise. West Lincoln battles BC. The girls game starts at 4 p.m., followed by the boys.

Loyd Star takes on Enterprise in the nightcap. Girls action is set to tip off at 7 p.m., followed by the boys.

Loyd Star 38, W. Lincoln 32 

The Lady Hornets and Lady Bears (1-7) provided a tough defensive battle for their basketball fans as both teams struggled to get their offense going.

Loyd Star managed to get the upper-hand over West Lincoln in the first half to take a 16-9 lead into halftime. In the second half, both managed to get their offense clicking as the Lady Bears edged the Lady Hornets 23-22, but Loyd Star held of West Lincoln’s late rally in the fourth to secure the win.

Sophomore center Hannah Dickerson pumped in a game-high 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Lady Hornets. Jordan Shelby contributed 13 points and also helped on the boards with eight rebounds.

“The game started off at a slow pace in the first half, before we managed to get our offense clicking in the second half,” said Loyd Star coach Gene ‘Moochie’ Britt. “Overall, I was pleased with the girls effort and glad to get the win.”

Senior guard Karley ‘Squishy’ Smith was the offensive leader for the Lady Bears with 11 points, three rebounds and two assists. Layton Sill chipped in 10 points, five rebounds, three steals and three assists. Hanna Moak led on the boards with seven rebounds.

“Our defense has always been pretty good, but offensively we are struggling to shoot the ball,” said West Lincoln coach Lane Young. “We are currently in a funk right now, but the girls are working hard to get out of it as we prepare for district.”

 W. Lincoln 76, Loyd Star 54 

The Bears and Hornets (6-2) provided an offensive show as both teams came firing on all cylinders in the opening quarter. In the second quarter, West Lincoln overpowered Loyd Star to outscore the Hornets 21-10 to claim a 36-25 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Bears’ offense continued the scoring spree as they hammered the Hornets 40-29 to capture the win.

Sam Bivens and Ronnie Edwards were the offensive leader for the Bears with 15 points apiece. Ke-shaun London and Duane Marshall also contributed to the win by adding in 13 points each. Javian Mackabee paced the Bears on the boards with nine rebounds.

“We still need to shoot better offensively,” said Young. “Overall, I really like our intensity that we played with throughout the whole game.”

Junior forward Edrick Alsworth was the top scoring leader for the Hornets with 15 points. Levi Redd provided a double-double for Loyd Star with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

“We played really well both offensively and defensively in the first half,” said Britt. “In the second half, we struggled to get things going and West Lincoln did the things needed to get the win.”