When the going got tough, West Lincoln’s Jeremy Byrd got going.Byrd scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds inleading the host Bears to a 72-55 Friday night win over BogueChitto’s Bobcats in Jack Case Gymnasium.

The Bears improved their record to 11-6 overall and 6-0 in theDivision 7-1A race. West Lincoln resumes play Tuesday at Loyd Star.Two seventh grade games will precede the 6 p.m. varsity girls gametipoff. The varsity boys play at 7:30.

The Bobcats fell to 7-8 and 2-3. They’ll play Dexter Tuesday atSalem in a division doubleheader.

Byrd, a junior forward, took up the slack when senior postBradleigh Rice got in foul trouble. Byrd had 12 points at halftimeas the Bears took a 39-29 lead.

“I thought Jeremy played really good defense,” said West Lincolncoach Lane Young. “We played well in spurts. The first quarter wasgood but the second and third quarters weren’t very good. Ourdefense at times was horrible.”

Young’s division-leading Bears started strong. They led theBobcats 26-8 at the end of the first quarter. By halftime, theBobcats had reduced their deficit to 10 points, 39-29.

Rice, who finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds, picked up hisfourth personal foul with 7:02 left in the third quarter. He didn’treturn until the final frame. The muscular senior center scored hisonly points of the second half on a short jumper with 2:01 left toplay, giving WL a 71-49 lead.

Besides Byrd and Rice, the Bears placed 2 more players in doubledigits as Aaron Collins scored 14 points and Jamey Byrd 12. Pointguard Aaron Shaw provided 11 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 steals.Collins had 5 assists.

“West Lincoln has a good team and they shot the ball well,” saidBogue Chitto coach Andrew Smithie. His Bobcats were led by KeyounaPerkins with 16 points and Justin Gaines with 15. Perkins also had7 rebounds.

In the junior varsity game, Bogue Chitto edgedWest Lincoln 37-32 as Justin London and Byron Kersee scored 7points each. The Bears got 16 points from Jeremie Richardson and 13from Brett Rushing.