By CURTIS ROCKWELL

Item Sports Editor

PURVIS — Poplarville’s Lady Hornets tuned up for a big game Friday in fine fashion here Tuesday.

Head coach Annette Smith’s crew knocked off homestanding Purvis 45-25 in Region 8-4A action.

The Lady Hornets moved to 12-3 overall, and 2-1 in league play with the win, which came without two starters as Daquari Raine mised the game with an illness and Policia Travis is still out with an injury.

Freshman Bretta Hart stepped up and paced Poplarville with a game high 15 points, while Demi Beason added 11.

The Lady Hornets now turn their attention to a road date with always powerful Bay High Friday night, another league game.

“We still won’t have Policia back, so I’m hoping we can just play well and keep getting ready for the league tournament,” Poplarville head coach Annete Smith, whose team dropped a close decision to Bay High in the first week of the season at the Pearl River Central Tournament, said.

• Also, the tip off times for Pearl River Community College’s MACJC non-division women’s and men’s basketball twin bill set for this Thursday have been changed due to possible icy road conditions. The women’s contest tips off at 3 p.m. followed by the men’s game at 5 p.m. The originally scheduled starting times were 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Pearl River’s Wildcat basketball team bombed Loyola University’s junior varsity Wolfpack squad Monday in Shivers Gymnasium, taking a lopsided 87-53 victory.

The win marked PRCC’s second win over the New Orleans-based senior college as the Wildcats were 60-49 winners Dec. 12 in the Big Easy. Pearl River improved to 8-4 overall.