The Lady Wildcats’ perfect season came to an end on Saturday as Dillon fell 68-53 to Bishop England in the girls’ Class AA Lower State Championship at the Florence Civic Center.

Dillon and Bishop England got off to a fairly even start with the Battling Bishops, but never lead by more than one point in the first half. With 7:21 left in the second quarter and Dillon trailing 19-12, Bishop England went on a 16-0 run led by all-state selection Michelle Boykin to carry a 35-17 lead into half-time.

The Lady Wildcats held off the Bishops in the first three minutes of the third quarter, but both teams poured in 22 points to allow Bishop England to retain a 57-39 lead after three.

Dillon tried to rally in the fourth, going on an 8-0 run which included a 3-pointer from Dillon’s Khamele Manning to cut the lead to 57-47 with 5:11 left in the game. But the Wildcats couldn’t hold off the Bishops long enough to capitalize, and with 43 seconds on the clock, the Bishops were ahead 66-52. With 22 seconds on the clock, Dillon’s Tyshanna Lester fouled out, and Bishop England sealed the win 68-53.

Yolanda Campbell led Dillon with 17 points and Tyshanna Lester added 14 with Khamele Manning earning 13. Brianna Lee scored six in the effort, and Tejah Breeden added three.

Michelle Boykin led Bishop England with a game-high 30 points and Mary Harriet Moore earned 20 in the win. Eran Artigues added nine, Jo Jo Tompkins scored six, and Caroline McQueeney earned three for the Battling Bishops.

Dillon ends the season with a 26-1 record while Bishop England improved to 26-1. The Battling Bishops will advance to the Class AA state championship on Saturday, March 8, at 2:00 p.m.

Bishop England will face upper state champ Andrew Jackson for the state title. The Lady Volunteers are 23-3 and defeated Newberry 62-48 for the upper state title.

Dillon coach Shawn Johnson said he was proud of the Lady Wildcats and the effort they made this season.

“We went 26-1 and don’t have anything to be ashamed of,” he said. “We just ran into a great Bishop England team.”

“When you get down against a veteran team like that,” he added, “it makes it hard to come back.”

He noted that while the Wildcats will lose seniors Tyshanna Lester and Brianna Lee, Dillon will be returning most of the team next season.

“We got a lot coming back,” he said, “and we hope to be back here next year.”

Photos by Johnnie Daniels/THE DILLON HERALD. Click the images below to view at full size!