Dillon Girl’s Basketball Will Enter 2024-25 Season With Target On Their Backs With Everyone Returning
By Billy G. Baker
Publisher
Dillon - Okay Dillon girls’ basketball fans and players, the rest of us know what you are already thinking about as you forward to the 2024-25 basketball season in Class AAA in South Carolina for next year.
Your team did an excellent job finishing (19-6, 9-1) while winning a region title with no seniors, so the 13 hard-working players on your 2023-24 team will all return next season, with one more year of experience. The young team that beat you in the playoffs, Crestwood, have been realigned to Class AAAA, and this year’s AAA champion Camden is graduating McDonald’s high school All-American Joyce Edwards and her 31 points per game to South Carolina.
Head Dillon coach James McMillian tells the HSSR, “I view having everyone back as both a good and bad situation,” he said. “First of all, everyone in our community is going to put a lot of pressure on the team, telling us that we should compete and win a state title no problem. It is almost expected that we be in the conversation for the girl’s AAA title next season and I understand that.
“As a head coach I certainly have to stay ahead of those conversations, and remind my team that schools like Oceanside Collegiate are moving up to AAA, and that over at Keenan will be a contender as the younger Fulwiley sister moves up to her freshman or sophomore as a special player also.”
Coach McMillian is planning to take his team to a team camp at USC in June. He is also taking his team to the “NCAA Live Event Showcase” scheduled in Rock Hill this June 13-15. Teams will compete over this three- day period and college coaches are allowed to come and watch the games. These two factors alone should serve as motivating factors for his team between now and June.
Dillon has been led on the hardwood the past two seasons by 8th grader Treasure Davis, a 5-7 combo guard, who has 654 points in two seasons. She could score her 1,000th career point before she completes her freshman season.
“Treasure is truly a special talent,” said Coach McMillian. “Her father is 6-2 so I can see her getting to 5-9 or 5-10 by her senior year. She is going to get stronger to because all of our players are involved in weight lifting.
“Treasure is more than a scorer and she is getting better and better at managing the game while she is on the court and making her teammates better also,” said Coach McMillian. “One area she needs to get better in is being a vocal leader on the court and I thin that will come as she grows older.”
Davis, who will be named to the 2023-24 HSSR all-state team when the team is released around March, 15 averaged 17.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4,8 steals and 2,4 assists a game this season.
Junior guard Mariah Campbell, one of the hardest workers on the team, has also been named to the 2023-24 HSSR all-state team after averaging 11 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.5 steals a game. Freshman guard Khwnylah McKinnon who averaged 12 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.3 steals this season has earned a spot on the HSSR all-rookie team.
Junior guard Ayonna Lester was also named all-region after averaging 4,6 points and six rebounds a game. The team was comprised of three juniors, three sophomores, three freshmen and one 8th grader.
Other players returning next season include soph F Jiana McGil, junior F Zadaiya Moody, soph G Zynijah Pernell, freshman G A’Zyriah Ford, freshman G Jaziyah Leggette, junior F Kiasia McLeod, soph F Leah Bethea, freshman F Katlin Leslie and soph F Alyssa Lee.
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