Veteran Dillon Girl’s Basketball Team Battling Injuries In Early Part Of Season

Billy Baker • January 11, 2025

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By Billy G. Baker

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Dillon—After the Dillon High girl’s basketball team finished (19-6, 9-1) a year ago, with no seniors on the team, expectations are very high for even greater season during the 2024-25 season.

After 11 games of the season, Dillon is 8-3 and the injury bug has hit the team very hard.

“We have not been at full strength, as a team, since our second game of the season,” said veteran Dillon head coach James McMillian , now in his 9^th season with the Wildcats. “Mariah Campbell has missed our last 9 games and Treasure Davis has missed our last five games, and she was limited with a wrist injury in the third game of the season, and she tried to play a few games with limited minutes before we had to rest her.

“We expect to have both players back in the very near future, and when we are at full- strength I feel really good about our chances for a deep play-off run,” said Coach McMillian. “The silver lining is that having several platers out early in the season, it has made us have to play other players more, and they have stepped up and gained valuable experience.

“I feel like we will be ready for a strong finish, once we get everyone healthy,” said Coach McMillian. “We just hope the rest of our season, after the holiday break, will be like our first two wins of the season.”

Dillon opened the season against Conway on December, 6^th with Davis ( a freshman who scored 654 points in her 7^th and 8^th grade seasons) leading all scorers with 21 points while Campbell was next in scoring with 11 points.

Dillon played Crestwood the next day, and avenged a loss to the Knights, who ended the Wildcats season in 2023-24 with a second -round win over the Wildcats. With Davis and Campbell scoring 18 and 14 points respectively Dillon improved to 2-0 with a 58-55 win.

Then four days later, with Campbell out, due to a medical issue, Dillon went to Crestwood and won 57-52. Davis scored 26 points to lead the team. However, Coach McMillian was very impressed with soph guard Khwnylahi McKinnon stepping up with 19 points in the game.

Then in game four, with Campbell out, and Davis playing only four or five minutes with the wrist injury she sustained in the fourth period versus Crestwood, Dillon improved to 4-0 with a 38-23 win over Conway. McKinnon led the offense with 11 points, and this time senor guard Ayonna Lester stepped up and scored 10 points in the Wildcats win. In limited action, Davis scored 9 points.

Over the next seven games Dillon went 4-3 with wins over Marion (55-48), Purnell Sweat, NC (52-45), Red Springs, NC (54-34) and Manning (51-38). The losses came against Fairmont, NC (L 54-41), Blythewood (L 63-25), and Scott’s Branch (L 44-43). Against Marion, Davis poured in a career high 41 points. Against Manning, McKinnon dropped in a season high 25 points.

While Campbell has been out, two players have stepped up in her place. They are soph guard Azyriah Ford and junior guard Zynijah Pernell. The other starter for Dillon is senior forward Zadaiya Moody.

Other hard-working members of the team include junior PF Jiana McGill, sophomore guard Jaziyah Leggette, junior PF Alyssa Lee, junior PF Jaleah Bethea, and senior PF Kiasia McLeod.

Coming into January, Dillon is led by three players in double figures. Davis, a top freshman prospect, is averaging 21.7 points and 9 rebounds in the games she has played in. Davis is also averaging 3.1 steals and 2.1 steals a game. Campbell is at 12.5 points a game including six rebounds and 3.5 assists a game. McKinnon is averaging 10.7 points and 5.3 rebounds a game including three assists a game.

Lester is having a solid year with six points and 5.3 rebounds a game and she leads the team in steals at 3.4 a game.

In January Dillon will play 9 games. They start off at home against Lake View on Jan. 8^th before starting the region schedule at home against Loris on the 10^th. On the 14^th they travel to Lake View before a road region game at Marlboro County on the 17^th.

Games follow at home against Waccamaw on the 21^st, away at Georgetown on the 24^th, before an away game at Loris on the 28^th. Dillon then closes out the month of January with a home game against Aynor on the 31^st.

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