The Amite County Trojans escaped the Hornets’ nest with a pair of Region 7-2A victories over Loyd Star Friday night at Loyd Star Gymnasium.

In the girls’ contest, the Lady Trojans dominated the Lady Hornets with their size and pressure to win 73-26.

In the boys’ game, the Trojans squeezed past the Hornets with a 61-59 victory.

Loyd Star will return to action Tuesday for more Region 7-2A action as they travel down Jackson-Liberty to West Lincoln to face the Bears and Lady Bears at Jack Case Gymnasium for three games. The junior varsity game is set to start at 5 p.m., followed by a pair of varsity games.

Amite Co. 73, Loyd Star 26 

The Lady Trojans came out quickly and overpowered the Lady Hornets (13-4, 3-1) with their size and speed in the first quarter to take a commanding 22-4 lead and continued it in the second quarter with a 15-6 run to carry a 37-10 lead into halftime.

In the second half, Amite County (19-3, 5-0) did not let up on the Lady Hornets as they dominated the Lady Hornets 36-16 in the final two quarters.

“Amite County has a very good team,” Loyd Star Coach Gene “Moochie” Britt said. “They came out and outplayed us from the start. Overall, we just did not play very well.”

Mackenzie Smith was the offensive leader for Loyd Star with seven points and five rebounds. Toni Banks contributed six points. Hannah Dickson provided four points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.

Cimerial Patterson and Fredricka Smith powered the Lady Trojans with 16 points apiece. Dealhia Taplin and Destiny Williams pumped in 10 points each.

Amite Co. 61, Loyd Star 59 

In the boys game, the Hornets and the Trojans battled in a close contest as the first half end in a 31-all tie.

In the third quarter, the Trojans managed to outscore Loyd Star 17-14 to secure a 48-45 lead.

In the final quarter, the Hornets rallied back with a 14-13 run but failed to come closer as Amite County escapes with the win.

“We had are chances to win the game, but we missed some clutch free throws at the end,” Britt said. “Amite County shot the ball really well behind the arc. Overall, we just did not play our best against them, and we committed too turnovers that hurt us at the end.”

Senior forward Edrick Alsworth directed the Hornets on offense with 22 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Javion Beard chipped in with 16 points. Caleb Yarborough provided seven points, five assists and two steals.

Darrion Robinson was the top shooter for the Trojans with 19 points. Kevan Williams contributed 12 points. Tyrese Hackett scored 10 points.