Lady Wildcats Take First Loss to Finish Fifth Place in Robeson County Basketball Shootout

Dillon’s Lady Wildcats took their first loss of the seasons on the way to a fifth place finish in the Robeson County Shootout last week.

The Wildcats took their first loss in the opening round of the tournament on Thursday, December 15, when they fell 59-53 to Lumberton’s Lady Pirates.

Lumberton took the victory thanks to a team effort from Keanna McNeill with a team-high 24 points, Maya McCoy with two crucial free throws late in the game, and a strong defense that included Aliyah Ratley, Destiny McCoy, and Jaynell Brown, who held off Dillon’s Chelsea Frazier particularly well in the last half. McNeil earned 12 of her 24 points in the first quarter, starting with a layup and followed by a three-pointer. She went 9-for-11 on free throws. McCoy earned a total of 10 points, including the two free throws that gave Lumberton a 57-53 lead with seconds left in the game. Ratley finished with 12 points.

Chelsea Frazier led Dillon with a game-high 36 points, putting in 16 of those in the fourth quarter. She hit three triples during the game, including one in the fourth that tied the game 51-51 with 2:32 left to play. Dillon had a chance to take the lead on three straight possessions, but the Pirate defense kept Frazier away from the net.

After McCoy’s free throws put the Pirates ahead 57-53, Frazier took possession of the ball and looked to make a three-pointer, but Lumberton’s Ratley made a steal and sank a layup for the 59-53 win.

Briana Lee added seven points for the Lady Wildcats, and Khadejhia Sellers earned four.

Lumberton moved on to face Fairmont on day two, while Dillon took on South Robeson.

The Wildcats fared much better on Friday as they downed the Mustangs 73-36. The two teams tied at 12-12 in the first quarter, but Dillon outscored South Robeson 28-6 in the second and 19-4 in the third to lead 59-22. Both teams added 14 points in the fourth for the final score of 73-36.

Chelsea Frazier led Dillon with a game-high 33 points, and Khadejhia Sellers added 25 in the win. Janesha Haynes added four, Jessica Swindler scored two, and Kedisha Davis, Tara Grimsley, and Briana Lee each earned three.

Virginia McCormick led South Robeson with a team-high 16 points. Savannah Hunt and Alora Lowery each added five, Zoe Drawhorn contributed four, and Crystal Lowry scored one point in the loss.

On Saturday, Dillon traveled to the University of North Carolina at Pembroke to take on Purnell Swett for the fifth place slot in the tournament.

The Wildcats got an early lead against the Rams with an 11 point lead at the half, but Purnell Swett managed to catch up to within one point of the Wildcats with just under seven minutes remaining in the game. Frazier answered for the Wildcats on their next possession as Dillon added 15 points to the Rams’ 9 in the final six minutes.

Frazier earned a game-high 26 points for the Wildcats. Purnell Swett was led by Laura Bird with 16 points and 18 rebounds.

Frazier was chosen as an all-tournament selection, scoring 95 points across the three-day tournament. Purnell Swett’s Kayla Lewis was also named all-tournament.

With the contest results, Dillon’s overall record improves to 9-1. Saturday’s loss left Purnell Swett with an 8-2 record.

The tournament championship went to Lumberton as the Lady Pirates defeated the St. Pauls Bulldogs 67-25. The Red Devils of Red Springs claimed third place with a 48-39 win over Fairmont’s Golden Tornadoes.

The Lady Wildcats will be taking some time off for the holidays before returning to action in Latta on Tuesday, January 3, when they’ll take on the Lady Vikings. On Thursday, January 5, they’ll travel to North Carolina once more to take on Fairmont. Make plans to attend to support our local teams in the new year!

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