The Top Ranked Dillon Girls Have Talent, Defense To Win AAA Girl’s Basketball Title s The Sheer Talent
Dillon's Jaziyah Leggette
HSSR AAA Girls Basketball Rankings - (As of Feb., 5 2025)
1.Dillon
2. Walhalla
3. Keenan
4. Orangeburg-Wilkinson
5. Loris
6. Powdersville
7. Woodruff
8. Oceanside Collegiate
9. Hanahan
10. Chapman
The Top Ranked Dillon Girls Have Talent, Defense To Win AAA Girl’s Basketball Title s The Sheer Talent
By Billy G. Baker
Publisher
Moncks Corner—The SCHSL AAA girls’ basketball championship finale is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday March, 6 at the Florence Civic Center just one year after McDonalds All-American Joyce Edwards led Camden to the title before moving on to the USC nationally ranked women’s basketball team.
Should the current top ranked Dillon Wildcats advance to the AAA finals fans at the game will certainly take notice of freshman guard Treasure Davis who has already put two quality seasons on her resume.
Dillon is head coached by 25- year coaching veteran James McMillian.
Davis is leading the team in scoring at 18.5 points a game with 6.,8 rebounds, three steals and 2.5 assists a game. “Treasure handles the ball very well and she is very quick,” said Coach McMillian. “We used her in many roles depending on the opponent. She has a very bright future in the sport of women’s basketball.”
It wasn’t until the first of January that the top AAA ranked Dillon High Lady Wildcats (17-3, 8-0) were able to play with a full roster, and they are currently on a 9-game win streak with two games left in the regular season.
“One of our losses was by one-point to Scott’s Branch early in the season when we had three starters out with various injuries,” said veteran head coach James McMillian. ” Freshman Treasure Davis is our best player and she missed four or five games with vertigo issues in December. We have also been without point guard Khwnylahi McKinnon and guard Mariah Campbell due to nagging injuries earlier in the season. We are healthy once again and we are playing our best basketball right now.”
In Dillon’s most recent win over Waccamaw on the road (50-41) Davis did not play due to a severe case of the flu. McKinnon stepped up and scored 18 points in the win. Junior forward Jiana McGil stepped versus Waccamaw and scored seven points and Campbell contributed 13 points.
“The win over Waccamaw was indicative of how things have gone most of the season,” said Coach McMillian. “When a player goes down others step up. We have a deep roster as a result of the injuries and health issues we have dealt with this season.”
McKinnon has improved her points average to 15 points a game including 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 2.5 assists a game. Campbell is averaging 10.1 points and 4.3 rebounds a game. Senior guard Ayonna Lester is averaging 7.3 points and 4.1 rebounds a game.
Dillon uses a four-guard attack in most games.
Junior guard Zynijah Pernell is often the first person off the bench along with sophomore shooting guard Azyriah Ford who contributed seven points in the recent win over Waccamaw.
Some other hard-working players include Jaziyah Leggette, Zadaiya Moody, Alyssa Lee, Jaleah Bethea and Kiasia McLeod.
“I honestly believe that with a completely healthy team we are capable of making a deep play-off run and competing for a state championship,” said Coach McMillian. “These girls have it within themselves to make that happen.”
The remaining AAA girl’s top ten is comprised of: 2. Walhalla, 3. Keenan, 4. Orangeburg-Wilkinson, 5. Loris 6. Powdersville 7. Woodruff 8. Oceanside Collegiate 9. Hanahan and 10. Chapman.
HSSR third ranked Keenan is currently (16-6, 7-0) and have wrapped up the Region 4- AAA title with one region contest left. The Lady Raiders losses this season have come against larger schools, except for dropping a contest to class A’s top ranked Military Magnet. They will host the first two rounds of the playoffs.
“I am happy with the progress of this team so far. We started a little slow but we played some very good competition and that will help us in the playoffs,” veteran head coach Reggie McLain. “We have young players that are excited to get better. So far, we are in a good place with the work ethic and the willingness to get better from the players.”
The Lady Raiders are led by young players in freshmen Taelor Lee-Sutton and junior Kristin Browns. They are one/ two in scoring as well as being two of the top defenders. Sutton is averaging over 18 points per game. She is the team leader in assists at 2.4 per game and steals at 4.4 per game. She has already scored over 700 points as an eighth grader and freshman.
Brown is averaging 13.8 points per game and is third in steals at 2.8 per game. She is on pace to score over 1000 career points next season as a senior.
The Lady Raiders have four other young ladies that are scoring five or more points per game in seniors Samiyah Hicks and Jayla Fulwiley, junior Aareonna Cuaghman, and eighth grader Tiana Randall. Hicks is second in rebounding and steals while Fulwiley has hit a team high 26 threes.
Cuaghman cleans the glass at a team high 7.3 rebounds per game after averaging 8.7 boards a game last season. Her scoring is down from last year but she can still put the ball in the hole when needed.
Randall has shown a solid all-around game all year and is averaging 5.6 points per game and four boards per game.
Two juniors Zaria Mines and Edrina Owens and sophomores Amari Benson, Michlea Lathan, Khloe Williams and Tyleea Robinson and freshman Christyna Mansuy round out the Lady Raiders roster.
