TIGER — DeeDee Dillard has been here before. However, most, if not all, of her current Rabun County squad has never experienced the week running up to a state championship game.
The longtime Lady Wildcats coach is hoping she can draw on her 2017 experiences as they prepare to take on Elbert County on Thursday in the Class 2A title game at 1 p.m. at The Macon Centreplex.
The two Region 8-2A foes met three times during the season, splitting a pair of regular season games, with Rabun County taking a 47-40 victory in the region championship game in Tiger. All three games were won by the home team.
Rabun County (25-4) advanced to the Class 2A title game in 2017 but fell 85-76 to Laney, the powerhouse in the classification at the time. They have now advanced to the quarterfinals or better five of the last seven years and Dillard has guided them to the playoffs in 15 of her 16 seasons at the helm.
Elbert County (27-4) had not advanced past the quarterfinals since 1960 until this season but the Lady Blue Devils do own the most wins in Class 2A this season.
Neither program has ever won a state title. However, both have been ranked in the top two most of the season and stormed their way through the playoff bracket winning by an average 22 points per game combined.
We caught up with Coach Dillard to talk about their preparations, the two teams’ familiarity with one another, and being just one win from the program’s first-ever state title.
QUESTION: Coach, this is your second trip to the state finals. What experiences from the first time have you been able to share with your group about what to expect, preparations, etc. as y’all get ready to try and capture your first-ever title?
ANSWER: Honestly, I have just tried to encourage the girls to enjoy the moment! Very few athletes get the opportunity to compete for a state title, and while it would be a great accomplishment for these girls to win it, we have also talked about how our focus must remain on the things that have gotten us to this point in the season.
QUESTION: This is an all-Region 8-2A final. The two teams have been ranked at the top most of the season. Is this a testament to the quality of 8-2A or is it really more about the make-up of the individual teams? A little of both?
ANSWER: Probably a little of both, but I have said from the beginning of the season that I felt 8-2A was the toughest in our classification from top to bottom. The teams in our region are composed of great players and high-quality coaches who invest in their kids and get the most out of their teams. When you have to compete against that during region play night-in and night-out, it certainly helps when you get to the state tournament because you feel battle-tested already.
QUESTION: Neither one of these teams, as constructed, have been here before. However, did some of the seven seniors who were in the program get to experience some of the atmosphere in that 2017 season? Does that matter, considering the stakes, or is it just about playing your game and getting comfortable in the moment?
ANSWER: Three of our seniors had older sisters on that 2017 team, and most of the others were also in attendance at that game [at Georgia Tech]. I honestly don't know if that helps, although it probably has helped inspire them to reach the finals again with an even greater desire to win their last game. However, every team in Macon this week desires to win so it really is going to come down to who can execute and play at a higher level than their opponent.
QUESTION: Your last trip to the finals y’all ran into a Laney program that was in the midst of winning 3 titles in 4 years. Y’all had never played them before, I don’t believe. Does the preparation for this one change since you know the opponent so well this time? Does that make this one easier or tougher since they also know y’all very well?
ANSWER: I've been asked this question several times in the last few days. In some ways, it helps to know who you are playing -- with Laney, there was almost this mystique about them because we had never seen them play in person, and it's also hard to tell how you will match up with another team until you actually have an opportunity to compete against them. At the same time, from a coach's perspective, you don't want your team to feel as if they don't need to prepare the same way they would for a different opponent. We tried to keep (Monday's) practice as normal as possible and in the same routine of what we would do against anyone else. We will be able to talk more in-depth about personnel and tendencies, both offensively and defensively, but I am sure Elbert is doing the same thing.
QUESTION: Since both teams know what the other does well, and not so well, what will the important keys be this time, especially being the finals?
ANSWER: No matter what game you are playing, whether it is the first game or the last game of the season, it almost always comes down to who executes the best, particularly when you have two teams that have shown to be evenly matched. We will need to limit turnovers, play great transition defense, control the boards, and make good decisions with shot selections.
QUESTION: Y’all have 7 seniors on the squad, led by Sophie Woodard, Carley Haban, and Gracie Deetz, but you also have some good young talent like sophomores Lucy Hood that have contributed significant minutes all season. Is it more important to have the seniors leading the way or do you need the younger girls, who have been key factors, to play like they have all season?
ANSWER: Both! Our senior leadership has been critical to our success this year, but we have some younger kids playing well too. One of the things these seniors have done a really good job with is encouraging each other when mistakes are made. I think this has allowed for tremendous growth in some of our girls who didn't have a lot of varsity experience coming into the season, which has been really fun to watch. I also can't say enough about the energy coming from our bench, even with the girls who haven't gotten to play as much as some of the others. For us to play our best and have a chance to win, it will take all 16 of our players.
QUESTION: This is your 16th season as head coach and have now taken the program to the playoffs 15 times, with 8 trips to the quarterfinals or better. The program only had two playoff appearances in its history before you took over. How much would it mean to you personally, and for the program, to be able to capture that elusive title?
ANSWER: This season, this moment, this game -- is all about the young ladies wearing that LadyCats jersey as well as those who came before them. It would obviously mean so much to our program, to our players, to their families, and to our community to bring home a championship, but at the end of the day, I will be incredibly proud of them no matter the outcome. They have inspired a new generation of LadyCats to continue the tradition of a commitment to excellence just as our former LadyCats did for them.
