Dillon’s #10 Khamele Manning shoots over guarding from Whale Branch’s #3 Cheyenne Rogers and #11 Dana Chapel.
Dillon’s Lady Wildcats defeated Whale Branch 56-44 on Wednesday, February 25, to earn a second shot at the Class 2A girls lower state title.
The Lady Wildcats took a 12-2 lead in the first quarter and outpaced the Warriors 16-7 in the second for a 28-9 lead at the half. Whale Branch rallied for a 22-13 third quarter, but Dillon held the Warriors off 15-13 in the fourth to seal the win.
Adriana McCollum led the Lady Wildcats with 13 points and Da’Kerhia Samuel added 12 in the win. Shar’Asia Samuel earned 8; Tejah Breeden, 8; Khamele Manning, 4; Jelissa Fentzlaff, 3; Shimya Sowells, 3; Cali McRae, 3; and Kendra McLeod, 2.
Whale Branch was led by Kemoni Jenkins with a game-high 16 points and Shaniqua Johnson scored 15 points with 11 rebounds for the Warriors. Cheyenne Rogers added 7; Ayshia White, 4; Dana Chapel, 2; and Gabriel Carter, 2. Chapel and Carter each grabbed five rebounds.
Whale Branch finished the season with a 20-8 record in Class 2A.
The Wildcats improved to 24-3 overall and earned a shot at the lower state title, facing Bishop England on Saturday for the second year in a row, and falling 51-48.
Photos by Johnnie Daniels/THE DILLON HERALD. Click the images below to view at full size!
