The Poplarville Hornets dominated from the opening whistle against Sumrall Tuesday night, winning 76-36.

Poplarville was up by 10 at the end of the first quarter and never slowed down en route to the squad’s first round win in the district tournament.

Amari Gilmore had 16 points against the Bobcats as he consistently hit shots for the Hornets.

The performance could serve as a source of confidence for the sophomore moving further into the tournament.

“He started hitting them and with the mindset he was in this will help him get out of it. He needed to see the ball go through the net,” Head Coach Run Bowen said.

Torry Polk also had a big night for the Hornets with 16 points, including several threes.

The senior has taken on a leadership role for the team, and his experience helped with the team’s execution offensively.

“He’s probably one of the few that would be vocal at times. He’s a guy that will take that role and now he’s not only being vocal, but he’s also doing it with his offense. He’s always been that way defensively, so it’s good to see him add offense to it,” Bowen said.

The win means the Hornets will play again Thursday with a chance to move on to the district championship.