With the Dillon boys earning a 74-69 win over Marion on Friday night, both the Wildcats and Lady Wildcats are now tied for the Region 8-2A boys and girls titles.

The Wildcats got off to an 18-15 start in the first, but Marion responded 20-14 in the second to put them ahead 35-32 at the half. Both teams added 18 points in the third, so the game really came down to the fourth quarter, when Dillon outscored Marion 24-15 for the win.

With 3:30 left in the game, Marion was up 65-64, but Dillon’s Olajuwan Fenton scored four points in a row with two free throws to put Dillon ahead 68-65 with two minutes remaining. Marion’s Marqui McKelvey scored on a layup to close the gap to 68-67, but Dillon’s Breon Page scored two to put the Wildcats at 70-67. McKelvey had a chance to tie the game, but was called for traveling, and Fenton sealed the win with two free throws.

Olajuwan Fenton led Dillon with 21 points and Jalik Bethea added all 17 of his points in the second half. Breon Page scored nine in the win.

Marqui McKelvey led Marion with 22 points, 11 of which he scored in the fourth quarter. Kevin Rowell added 17 points and picked up a team-high 16 rebounds.

Dillon improves to 14-7 overall while Marion slips to 16-5, with both teams tied at 7-1 to lead Region 8-2A in boys basketball.

Marion will take on Waccamaw and Mullins this week, while the Wildcats were scheduled to host Loris on Monday and will host Waccamaw on Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m.

If the two teams remain tied for first, a tiebreaking game will be held on either Friday or Saturday at a neutral site. Be sure to check THE DILLON HERALD and thedillonherald.com for updates!

GIRLS

The Lady Wildcats defeated Marion 55-51 on Friday night to improve to 7-1 in the region and remain tied with Mullins for the region title.

Dillon led most of the game and was ahead 50-41 heading into the fourth quarter. The Lady Swamp Foxes were able to get within four points of the Wildcats thanks to a three-pointer from Laquisha Kinney with 3:49 left in the game, but Marion couldn’t sink another field goal before the buzzer.

Tyshanna Lester led Dillon agianst her former team with a game-high 25 points. Khamele Manning added 12 points in the win for the Lady Wildcats.

Laquaishia Williams led Marion with 12 points and 16 rebounds, while Courtney Davis added 11 points for the Swamp Foxes.

Dillon improves to 14-7 overall with a 7-1 record in Region 8-2A. The Mullins Auctioneers also remained at 7-1 after a 74-17 win over Loris on Friday. If the two teams remained tied, there will be a tiebreaking game at a neutral site on Friday or Saturday.

The Lady Wildcats were scheduled to host Loris on Monday night and will host Waccamaw on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. Make plans to attend to support our local teams!