MADISON – The Loyd Star Lady Hornets secured a big victory on the road Friday night as they stung the Madison St. Joseph Lady Bruins 64-47 in high school basketball action.

In the boys contest, the Bruins relied on a second surge to defeat the Hornets 71-61.

Loyd Star will be out of action for the next two weeks to enjoy the holiday break. The Hornets and Lady Hornets will resume action Jan. 6, as they prepare to host the Wesson Cobras for four games. Junior high action starts at 4 p.m. followed by the varsity games at 6 and 7:30 p.m.

Loyd Star 64, St. Joe 47 

The Lady Hornets came strong and quickly set the tone of the contest in the first quarter as they stormed out to gain a 16-6 lead.

In the second quarter, both teams fought in a close contest as each school scored 14-points apiece, but Loyd Star took a 30-20 lead into halftime.

In the second half, the Lady Hornets took charge as they outscored the Lady Bruins with a 15-10 run in the third quarter and provided a 19-17 run in the final quarter to secured the win.

“The girls played really well offensively and defensively,” said Loyd Star Coach Gene “Moochie” Britt. “Faith Berguron played a great game for us coming off the bench. Overall, I was very pleased with everyone efforts. It was a total team effort, and we are glad to get the win.”

Faith Berguron sparked the Lady Hornets (9-3) by pumping in a team-high 21 points and had four assists. Jordan Shelby had a double-double performance with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Marcey Givens contributed nine points. Hannah Dickerson chipped in with six points, four rebounds, two steals and had two blocked shots.

Ashley German was the offensive leader for the Lady Bruins with 23 points. Nina German, her sister, added 16 points.

St. Joe 71, Loyd Star 61 

The Hornets and Bruins provided an exciting contest for their basketball fans as St. Joe gained a slim 15-14 lead in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Hornet buzzed back with a 15-11 run to secure a 29-26 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Bruins came out hot and quickly capitalized on Loyd Star’s miscues to outscore the Hornets 24-17 in the third frame and continued it again in the fourth quarter with a 20-15 run to claimed the victory.

“St. Joe beat us on the boards,” said Britt. “We gave them too many second chance opportunities, and we made too many turnovers against a good team like St. Joe. The guys played well in the first half but were flat in the second half.

Senior forward Edrick Alsworth powered the Hornets (9-3) with a game-high 28 points. Caleb Yarborough provided 12 points. Javion Beard scored seven points. Brad Jasper and Levi Redd netted six points apiece. Dorian Beard had four points.

Winford Ross directed the Bruins surge with 24 points. Bick Bohannoh and Keoka Trevillion contributed 16 points apiece.