The Loyd Star Hornets and Lady Hornets captured two big victories against Enterprise in Region 7-2A basketball action Friday night in Loyd Star Gymnasium.

     In the girls’ game, the Lady Hornets opened the 2013 portion of their schedule and secured their third win of the season with a 46-43 victory over the Lady Jackets.

     In boys’ action, the Hornets came out firing on all cylinders in the first quarter to sting the Jackets 78-36.

     Loyd Star resumes action Tuesday and visits Liberty to battle the Amite County Trojans for 2 region games. The girls varsity game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m., followed by the boys.

     Enterprise resumes basketball action Tuesday. They host region rival Wesson for four games. The junior varsity girls begin at 4, followed by the varsity games at 6 and 7:30 p.m.

Loyd Star 46, Enterprise 43

     The Loyd Star and Enterprise fans witnessed another tough defensive battle in the girls game. The Lady Jackets and Lady Hornets fought back and forth in the first quarter with the score tied 9-9.

     In the second quarter, Loyd Star (3-12, 1-1) turned up the heat defensively and took a 25-21 halftime lead.

     In the second half, both teams continued their defensive bout. Loyd Star managed to maintain a 4-point lead, 33-29, at the end of the third quarter.

     In the fourth quarter, Enterprise (10-12, 1-3) outscored Loyd Star 14-13.

     Sophomore guard Marcy Givens pumped in a game-high 17 points, plus 5 steals and 2 assists to lead the Lady Hornets. Freshman guard Toni Banks contributed 10 points. Ruby McCullough led Loyd Star on the boards with 11 rebounds.

     “The girls played a good game,” said Loyd Star coach Billy Vaughn. “We limited our careless turnovers in the game, which we have been stressing since the last game. The girls did a great job handling the pressure in the fourth quarter and made clutch 7 of 8 free throws in the stretch.”

     Senior center Veonka Sanders was the offensive leader for the Lady Jackets with 11 points and 7 rebounds. Caroleah Brister led on the boards with 8 rebounds.

     “We did not play as well as we should have,” said Enterprise coach Jill Nations. “We have got to do better and pick up the pace since it is district time.”

Loyd Star 78, Enterprise 36

     The Hornets (8-7, 1-1) came out of the gates on fire and grabbed a 23-4 lead after one quarter of action. Loyd Star continued to overwhelm the Jackets in the second quarter to take a 41-17 halftime lead.

     In the second half, the Hornets continued the offensive scoring onslaught and outscored Enterprise 37-19 to secure the triumph.

     The Hornets had two players reach double figures. Sophomore guard Caleb Yarborough directed the Hornets explosion with a game-high 21 points, plus 4 steals and 6 assists. Edrick Alsworth netted 17 points and led on the boards with 9 rebounds.

     “We shot the ball really well from the outside,” said Loyd Star coach Gene (Moochie) Britt. “This was a great team effort. It was great to give everyone some playing time. Overall, I was pleased with the guys effort. We need to continue getting better as the region race starts.”

     Junior forward Ethan Newman paced the Jackets (7-14, 0-4) with 9 points and 6 rebounds. Forrest Scott was the leader on the boards with 7 rebounds and scored 6 points.

     “Our kids played hard the whole game,” said Enterprise coach John Knight. “We still have a lot of work to do to get more of a consistent effort from everyone. We need to continue getting better.”

     In junior varsity boys action, the Hornets drilled the Jackets 55-19.

     Lane Rogers led Loyd Star with 12 points. Levi Redd contributed 8 points.

     Enterprise was led by Austin Carter with 5 points. Dewayne Pendleton provided 4 points.