LIBERTY – The Loyd Star Hornets and the Amite County Lady Trojans were victorious Tuesday night in Region 7-2A basketball action in Liberty.

In the girls game, the Lady Trojans defeated the Lady Hornets 59-35.

In boys action, the Hornets survived a late fourth quarter rally by Amite County to win 61-59.

Loyd Star returns to action Thursday as they wrap up the regular season on the road against division rival Bassfield. The girls will tip off at 6 p.m., followed by the boys.

Amite Co. 59, Loyd Star 35 

The Lady Trojans and the Lady Hornets (17-5, 6-2) started off the first quarter with a good defensive battle as Amite County captured a 14-9 lead.

In the second quarter, the Lady Trojans turned up the heat on the Lady Hornets and overpowered Loyd Star with an 18-6 run to carry a 32-15 lead into halftime.

In the second half, Amite County outscored Loyd Star 27-20 in the final two quarters to earn the win.

“Amite County’s press hurt us in the second and third quarter,” said Loyd Star coach Gene “Moochie Britt. “Overall, we just did not play very well. We missed too many easy shot and had to many turnovers. Amite County has a good team and we just did not play them at our best tonight.”

Hannah Dickerson directed the Lady Hornets offense with nine points and nine rebounds. Jordan Shelby, Marcey Givens and Mackenzie Smith chipped in with six points apiece. Shelby helped on the boards with five rebounds and Smith provided four rebounds.

Carmel Patterson led the Lady Trojans with 18 points. Destiny Williams contributed 12 points.

Loyd Star 61, Amite Co. 59 

The Hornets came out strong and dominated the first half of action as they led at halftime 30-25.

In the third quarter, both teams provided a exciting offensive battle as Loyd Star managed to increase their lead with a 19-16 push to have a 49-41 advantage before heading into the final frame.

In the fourth quarter, the Trojans managed to outscored the Hornets 18-10 to tied the game at 59-all in the final minute of action.

In the closing second, Loyd Star (18-4, 8-1) set up for the final shot, but missed the shot on their first attempt. Levi Redd managed to strip the ball away from a Trojan defender and kicked it over to his teammate Edrick Alsworth for the game winning shot as the buzzer sounded.

“The guys played a good game all around,” said Britt. “We shot the ball well and out rebounds Amite County. The Trojans did a good job fighting back in the fourth quarter. We were very fortunate to leave with the win.”

Brad Jasper powered the Hornets offense with 25 points. Alsworth chipped in with 17 points, eight rebounds and six steals. Javion Beard provided nine points and grabbed four rebounds. Redd scored seven points and collected seven rebounds.

Darrion Robinson paced the Trojans with a game-high 28 points. Tyrese Hackett contributed 13 points.