The Whale Branch girls’ basketball team’s post-season run ended in the Class 2-A Lower State Semifinals on Wednesday Feb. 25th. Favored Dillon pulled away to beat the Warriors 56-42 in the postseason matchup.

With the loss, Whale Branch concluded the 2014-15 season with a 17-7 overall record.

The win allowed Dillon to improve to 24-3 and advance to the Girls’ 2-A Lower State Championship Game in Florence this coming Saturday. Dillon advanced to meet Bishop England in the title tilt.

Setting the tone early, Dillon outscored Whale Branch 12-2 in the first quarter. Following a 16-7 run in the second quarter, Dillon led 28-9 at halftime. Whale Branch managed to cut into Dillon’s lead early in the second half but couldn’t recover from the slow start. The Warriors fell short despite outscoring Dillon 24-13 in the third quarter.

Adriana McCollum led Dillon with a team-high 13 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double.  Da’Kerhia Samuel, who registered a double-double, contributed 12 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Dillon in the win. In all, nine different Dillon players provided scoring in the tournament game.

Kemoni Jenkins paced Whale Branch with 16 points. Accompanying Jenkins in double figures, Shaniqua Johnson netted 15 points for the Warriors in the season-ending loss.