West Lincoln hosted district opponent Amite County Tuesday night and the Bears handled business.

The Bears took control from start to finish and won 59-36. In an exciting game, the Amite County Lady Trojans picked up their first district win, as they defeated the West Lincoln Lady Bears 52-49.

West Lincoln 59, Amite County 36

In a defensive first quarter, West Lincoln was able to increase their lead to take a 15-9 advantage into the second period. Amite County opened the second period by coming within four points. The Bears built their lead thanks to solid rebounding and took a 33-17 lead into halftime.

The Trojans fought hard in the third quarter, but West Lincoln would take a 43-24 lead into the final period. Amite County opened the final period with strong defense to cut into the West Lincoln lead. West Lincoln took command the rest of the game and won 59-36.

“Thought we did a good job controlling the tempo,” West Lincoln head coach Lane Young said. “We rebounded real well. Made shots that got us out in front and made Amite County play catch up.”

West Lincoln was led by junior forward Donterrius Taylor with 15 points and eight rebounds. Freshman forward

Michael Brothern scored 11 points with nine rebounds and three steals as well. Sophomore guard Garrison Coffey chipped in with 10 points to help with scoring. Freshman guard Karlton Byrd netted nine points and three rebounds. Junior center Chase Owen had a big game with seven points, 10 rebounds and three assists as well.

Lady Trojans 52, Lady Bears 49

The girls played an intense contest that saw numerous ties and lead changes in the first period as neither team could establish momentum. The quarter ended with the Lady Bears taking a 16-14 lead into the second period. West Lincoln once again came out on top, and headed into halftime leading 32-30.

West Lincoln took a three-point lead before the Lady Trojans would soon take the lead away. The game went into the final quarter of play tied at 40.

The theme of lead exchanges continued throughout the rest of the fourth quarter. The Lady Trojans took over the lead with 1:15 left to play. In the end, Amite County held out against the Lady Bears to win by a final score of 52-49.

“We played poorly in the fourth period. Made poor decisions, and missed easy shots,” Young said. “We need to be mentally tough in the fourth period.”

West Lincoln was led by sophomore guard Megan Gerald with 20 points, three rebounds and three steals. Senior forward Demesha Deer scored 10 points and added on six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Sophomore guard Skylar Hall added on seven points to help the scoring load and reeled in four rebounds. 

The Lady Trojans were led by senior guard Fredreka Smith with 30 points on the night.

West Lincoln will host Enterprise in district action Friday night. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.