Lee Academy girls basketball team reaches SCISA AA semifinals for 2nd straight year
Cavalier boys team finishes 4-15
Bishopville – For the second straight season, the Lee Academy girls basketball team saw its season come to an end in the semifinals of the SCISA AA state tournament. And, for the second straight season, the Cavaliers fell to the eventual state champion.
LA, which finished 13-8 and won the Region 1 title with a 7-1 record, beat Our Lady of the Rosary 45-37 in the quarterfinals before falling to Dorchester Academy 60-23 in the semis.
“This season was a little bit different from last year even though we basically had the same team with the addition of Kaisley Melton, a freshman, and Beth Whiteside, an eighth-grader. They had a lot to learn, especially Kaisley, because she had the toughest position on the court to learn being the point guard.”
Senior Mazie Tomlinson was the leader of the team. She was selected as the Region Player of the Year. Tomlinson led Lee in rebounding per game with a 13.8 average, in assists at 4.1 and in steals at 2.5. She also averaged 7.5 points.
“She’s just a smart player,” Langston said of Tomlinson, who has been a part of the program since third grade when she was a manager. “If we get the ball inside, she’s going to make the right decision. She’s just got a good head on her shoulders. She’s kind of like the glue that holds everything together.”
Tomlinson, Whiteside, sophomore Karagan Melton and sophomore Jameson Collins were All-Region selections.
Karagan Melton was the leading scorer at 10.8, Whiteside averaged 7.2 points and 7.1 rebounds, and Collins averaged 6.2 points and 5.0 rebounds.
Kaisley Melton averaged 3.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals.
Along with Tomlinson, the other seniors on the team were Zana Brazell, Baylee Catoe and Sara Bell.
LEE BOYS FINISH WITH 4-15 RECORD
The season for the Lee boys basketball team didn’t go the way for which head coach Kemp DeWitt had hoped. The Cavaliers finished 4-15 overall, 2-6 in region play and missed out on the state tournament.
“Overall, it was a disappointing season from a record standpoint,” DeWitt said. “We played some good teams close, but we couldn’t quite get over the hump. I was very proud of the way the team played hard even with the bad record we had.”
Sophomore Brayden Davis and senior Cain June were selected to the All-Region team. Davis was the leading scorer at 10.6 to go with 3.5 rebounds. June averaged 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds.
DeWitt believes the future looks bright for LA with its returning players and those coming up from the junior varsity.
“I’m going to miss our three seniors and want to thank them for all their hard work and dedication,” Dewitt said.
Along with June, the other seniors are Paxton Greene, who averaged 7.3 points, and Collins Drayton.
