BAY SPRINGS – The Bay Springs Bulldogs ended Loyd Star’s basketball season Tuesday night as the Hornets fell 62-50 in the opening round of the boys Class 2A South State tournament.

The Hornets finished their season with a 17-10 worksheet. The Bulldogs (22-9) advance to the quarterfinals and won the right to host the 2A South State tournament.

Bay Springs 62, Loyd Star 50 

The Hornets and the Bulldogs provided an exciting ball game for their basketball fans as both teams fought head to head for three quarters of action.

In the opening quarter, Loyd Star managed to claim an 11-9 advantage, before Bay Springs bounced back to thump the Hornets 15-10 in the second quarter to carry a 24-21 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, both teams continued to fight hard defensively as Loyd Star managed to cut into the Bulldogs’ lead with 14-13 run.

In the fourth quarter, Bay Springs managed to take advantage of several miscues by Loyd Star to blast the Hornets with 25-15 run to secure the victory.

Junior forward Edrick Alsworth paced the Hornets with a team-high 18 points and 6 rebounds. Caleb Yarborough and Levi Redd contributed 11 points apiece. Redd was the leader on the boards for Loyd Star with 7 rebounds.

“This was an exciting game,” said Loyd Star coach Gene ‘Moochie’ Britt. “We managed to play even with the No. 1 team in class 2A for three quarter. The fourth quarter was the turning point for us as Bay Springs took advantage of our miscues on and offense and defense, which hurt us at the end. Overall, I was very pleased with my guys efforts. We had a great season with a very young team. I would like to thank my seniors for their hard work and for the community support from our fans.”

Bruce Stevens was the offensive leader for the Bulldogs with a game-high 21 points. Jonnas Spivey chipped in with 15 points.