Lometa could not ask for a better start to district play.

The Hornets and Lady Hornets both left Gustine with wins on Tuesday, as the girls posted a fivepoint victory and the boys won by double digits.

Paced by a pair of post players, the Lady Hornets opened up a 10-point lead in the third quarter. And despite Gustine making several attempts to regain control on their home court, Lometa stood strong, winning 46- 41.

Sophomore Kylie Bradley poured in a team-high 14 points, and senior Jeanette Rosales added 11, including six in the fourth quarter.

"We really used our posts more," head coach Brandy Eckermann said. "We've really been working on our rebounding and putting it back in the basket."

After a slow start offensively that limited the Lady Hornets to just 10 points in the first quarter, Lometa found its rhythm, scoring 12 in the second quarter and 15 in the third before Gustine began battling to get back into the contest.

"They played really good together as a team," Eckermann said of the Lady Hornets. [Gustine] pressed us, and we had a little trouble with it at first, but we adjusted."

Making the district-opening win even more impressive is Lometa was without starting senior guard and floor general Maria Jaso for part of the fourth quarter after she fouled out.

"We haven't been 1-0 in district for a long time, so it was a good start for us," Eckermann said. "I really want to continue [to improve from the victory over Gustine] and just go up from there."

The win comes on the heels of the Rising Star Tournament, where the squad produced a 1-2 record, losing to Gorman in the consolation bracket.

After falling to Cross Plains 48-35 on the first day, the Lady Hornets bounced back to squeak out a three-point victory over Abilene Christian.

Rosales exploded for 17 points, hitting shots from all over the court, but struggled at the free-throw line where she was just eight of 14 in the game. Jaso connected on six field-goal attempts and finished with 16 points, while 5-4 post Marcy Garcia netted 10.

In the third round, Lometa drew Gorman and fell by 24 points, 56-32.

After limiting Gorman to just 10 points in the first quarter, the Lady Panthers caught fire, combining for 40 points in the subsequent two quarters. By the end of the third, Gorman had the game well in hand with a 50-20 lead.

Jaso finished with a team-high 10 points, followed by senior Maribel Reyes who scored nine.

After delaying the start of their season because of the Hornets' playoff run in football, the boys' squad made up for lost time as they cruised to a 53-43 victory in their district opener.

Senior Brandon Faubion tallied 18 points, while point guard David Cruz provided an additional dozen points in the win.

Both the boys and the girls are competing in the Cherokee Tournament this weekend before jumping back into district play on Tuesday with home contests versus Star beginning at 5 p.m.