The opening round of the Region 7-2ATournament began with plenty of offensive fireworks Tuesday nightin Enterprise Gymnasium. The Loyd Star Lady Hornets were the onlywinners in Lincoln County who advance to the semifinals as theydefeated the Enterprise Lady Yellow Jackets 52-38.

    In other girls action, the Amite County Lady Trojans plucked theLady Eagles of East Marion 57-21.

    In boys action, the Trojans crushed Enterprise 69-28 in the secondgame and the Eagles exterminated Loyd Star 47-31 in the finale.

    Tournament action continues Thursday as the Bassfield LadyYellowjackets battle the Lady Hornets at 4 p.m., followed by theboys tangling with the Eagles at 5:30 in the semifinals.

    The Wesson Cobras and Lady Cobras will see action in the nightcapsas they prepare for Amite County. The girls tip off at 7 p.m.,followed by the boys at 8:30. All eight teams advance to Friday’sconsolation and championship games. They also qualify for nextweek’s South Mississippi playoffs.

 

Amite Co. 69, Enterprise28

    The Trojans (8-17) overwhelmed the Jackets (6-21) with their sizeand quickness in the second half. They dismantled the Jackets witha 44-10 run to seal the win.

    Senior forward Darion Banks pumped in a game-high 22 points to leadAmite County. ZaQuarius Tobias contributed 11 points.

    “This was a great team effort,” said Amite County coach ChrisParker. “I am extremely proud of the guys. Now, we must regroup andget ready for a battle against Wesson.”

    Sophomore Tanner Allen directed the Jackets with a team-high 11points. Jarrod Johnson was the leader on the boards with 8rebounds.

    “Our kids battled really hard for three quarters,” said Enterprisecoach John Knight. “In the fourth, our early foul troubles andinjuries finally caught up with us. Overall, I am proud of the guysfor playing hard in this physical game.”

Loyd Star 52, Enterprise38

    The Lady Hornets and Lady Jackets provided a classic bout as fansflocked in and packed the gym to show support of their teams.

    In the opening quarter, Loyd Star and Enterprise battled back andforth as the Lady Hornets held a slim 12-10 lead. In the secondquarter, the Lady Hornets orchestrated strong defensive pressurewith a full-court press to disrupt Enterprise’s game plan.

    Loyd Star forged a 17-7 run to end the first half with a 29-17halftime lead.

     The Lady Hornets (17-10)had three players reach double figures as senior center TyrishaPatterson poured in a game-high double-double of 22 points and 18rebounds. Maggie Redd and Marcy Givens provided 10 pointsapiece.

    “Our guards (Marcy Givens, Maggie Redd, Melody Smith and MeganGivens) were the difference in the game,” said Loyd Star coachBilly Vaughn. “They stepped up and handle the pressure well bycreating turnovers with our full court press.”

    Junior guard Caroleah Brister directed the Lady Jackets (11-16)with a team-high 18 points and 7 rebounds. Veonka Sanders recordeda double-double for Enterprise with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

    “My girls gave a 110 percent in this tough battle,” said Enterprisecoach Jill Nations. “Unfortunately, we came up short at the end aswe missed too many outside shots that we usually make.”

E. Marion 47, Loyd Star31

    The Eagles lit up the Hornets in the first half as they outscoredLoyd Star 30-14 to lead at halftime.

    Katron Allen had a game-high performance for East Marion (8-12) ashe poured in 22 points.

    “I am very proud of the guys for getting this win that qualifies usto be in the South State playoffs next week,” said East Marioncoach Calvin Brown. “We knew coming in that this game would betough against a well coached team like Loyd Star. But, we managedto stick to our game plan and wear them down with our speed. Now,we must get ready a tough matchup against Bassfield.”

    The Hornets (9-13) were led offensively by junior forward TerionWilliams with a team-high 13 points.

    “We had a bad game on the wrong night,” said Loyd Star coach Gene(Moochie) Britt. “East Marion pressured us the whole game and westruggled to make our shots and free throws as well.”

Amite Co. 57, E. Marion21

    The Lady Trojans had no problems eliminating the Lady Eagles fromthe tournament as they grabbed a big lead early and breezed to thewin.

    Amite County (16-7) had two players reach double figures as seniorTydeshia Poole led with 19 points. Destiny Williams contributed 12points.

    Justice Stewart was the top scorer for the Lady Eagles with 8points.