Dillon’s Lady Wildcats improved to 10-0 and claimed the championship title in the Little Caesar’s Invitational girls basketball tournament held in South Florence over the weekend.

The tournament included teams from around the area and from different classes, including Dillon, Bluffton, Wilson, Scotland County, West Florence, Carvers Bay, South Florence, and Hannah-Pamplico.

The Lady Wildcats kicked off the tournament on Thursday, January 2, with an 81-40 win over the Class 4A Bluffton Bobcats.

Tyshanna Lester led Dillon in the win, scoring a game-high 23 points with 15 of those coming in the first half to help Dillon take an early 19-4 lead. The Lady Wildcats led 38-22 at the half and Lester helped the Wildcats to a 20 point lead in the fourth quarter, widening it to 67-36 with two free throws with six minutes on the clock.

Khamele Manning and Brianna Lee each added 15 points for Dillon in the win, while Dynasty Mervin scored a team-high 10 points for the Bobcats.

Also in the first round of tournament action, Wilson defeated Scotland County 56-43; West Florence defeated Carvers Bay 52-48; and South Florence defeated Hannah-Pamplico 53-23.

On Friday night, the Lady Wildcats took on South Florence and held on for a 53-48 win.

Lester again led Dillon with a game-high 18 points, but spent much of her time off the court, racking up four fouls throughout the game to go out with less than a minute left. But the Wildcats took the lead early and held onto it through most of the game, leading 30-24 at the half. The Bruins kept trying to cut the lead, getting within four points twice, aided by a series of missed free throws from Dillon. But the Lady Cats hit three free throw sin the final minutes and Da’Kerhia Samuel pushed the Wildcats ahead 53-46 in the final seconds of the game to allow Dillon to hang on for the win.

Samuel scored 16 points for the Wildcats, and Yolanda Campbell added 11.

Alexus Wilson led South Florence with 16 points, with Zakia Douglas adding 14 and Shamiyah Barnes scoring 12.

Also in the second round, Carvers Bay shut down Scotland County 71-52; Bluffton defeated Hannah-Pamplico 54-40; and West florence edged Wilson 54-52.

The Wildcats advanced to the championship game on Saturday, where they battled West Florence down to the wire for a 41-37 win.

Dillon took an 11-4 lead in the first quarter and led 19-17 at the half. West pulled ahead 33-28 in the fourth, but the Wildcats battled back to tie the game on a 3-point shot from Khamele Manning.

West Florence’s Destinee Walker pushed the Knights ahead with a layup, but two free throws from manning and a layup from Lester gave the Wildcats a 37-35 lead with 18 seconds left in the game.

West Florence’s Maya Jackson tied things 37-37 with just five seconds on the clock, but Dillon’s Brianna Lee grabbed the ball, went half way down the court, and sank a three-pointer with a half-second on the clock to put the Wildcats up 40-37. A foul allowed her to add a free throw to cap the win at 41-37.

Lester led Dillon with a game-high 18 points, while Taylor McLeod and Cayla Manning each scored a team-high eight points to lead the Knights.

While Dillon claimed the tournament title, South Florence took third place with a 45 -34 win over Wilson. Carvers Bay finished in fifth with a 51-36 win over Bluffton, and Scotland County defeated Hannah-Pamplico 56-47.

Dillon’s Tyshanna Lester was named the tournament MVP, and Brianna Lee and Yolanda Campbell were named to the All-Tournament team.

West Florence’s Maya Jackson and Destinee Walker were also named to the team, along with South Florence’s Alexus Wilson and Shamiyah Barnes; Wilson’s Mallorie Gainey and Bryanna Goodson; Carvers Bay’s Desaree Green and Evian Mitchell; and Scotland County’s Destiny Campbell and Emily Pyatt.

The Lady Wildcats remained undefeated at 10-0 and return to regular season action with two tournament titles under their belt, including their championship win at the Robeson County Shootout.

Dillon’s Lee said that the goal for the Wildcats is not just to win a state title but to finish the season with a perfect record, a sentiment Dillon coach Shawn Johnson echoed.

Johnson noted that the Wildcats were a young team with only two seniors, and also noted that they’ll face tough competition ahead in Class 2A, Region 8, noting Mullins and Marion in particular. The Mullins Auctioneers were ranked just ahead of Dillon, taking third and fourth respectively, in the Class 2A polls.

The Wildcats will also face obstacles in the playoffs. Last season Dillon made it past the first round with a 65-52 win over Lake Marion, but fell in the second round to Lake City. The Wildcats will also have to make it past tough teams like Kingstree and Bishop England, who squared off for the lower state title last season and are again ranked as two of the top 10 teams in Class 2A. Fairfield Central and Bishop England topped the list, with defending champ Keenan ranked sixth.

The Wildcats will return to regular season action tonight in Latta and are scheduled to host South Robeson on Wednesday and the Vikings on Friday. The Lady Vikings are 5-1 heading into tonight’s game.

Dillon will open region play on Tuesday, January 14, when they are scheduled to host Aynor at 6:00 p.m. Make plans to attend home games to support our local team!