DeeDee Dillard and the Rabun County girls are usually the ones being hunted. Since 2016, the Lady Wildcats have played for two state titles and advanced to the quarterfinals or better four other times, including a semifinal appearance in 2024.
However, in the 2025 playoffs, after an unusual and mediocre 12-12 regular season, they have become the hunters. And so far: Lady Wildcats 2, Unsuspecting Quarry 0.
Dillard said her message to her group before beginning the Class A Division 1 playoffs was an unusual one for her.
“This group has embraced the underdog role in the playoffs,” she said Monday. “I think the biggest key for us the last couple of weeks is just having confidence in each other as well as our ability to execute our game plan.”
It’s been well-received. The Lady Wildcats are one of just two girls teams, along with Jackson-Atlanta in Class 4A, in the eight GHSA classifications to get two road playoff wins in the first two rounds of the 2025 playoffs.
But on Tuesday, there will be no sneaking up on an unsuspecting opponent. The Lady Wildcats (14-12), seeded 23rd in the 32-team field in Class A D1, travel to No. 2-seed and fellow Region 8-A rival Banks County in the Elite 8.
And the Lady Leopards (23-5) know them well. Very well. Banks County, riding a 20-game win streak, won both regular season meetings with Rabun County, 59-43 in Homer and 61-29 in Tiger late in the season.
First-year Banks County coach Jason Gibson was the Rabun County athletics director for the last six years and saw firsthand the Lady Wildcats’ recent work. But he also said neither team is the same since those two regular season showdowns.
“And after watching their first and second round game films, I would expect a wrinkle or two from Rabun,” Gibson said. “DeeDee is a great coach, so I know she’ll have them ready. But our kids know what our expectations are, so the way we prepare won’t change.”
While it may be Gibson’s first season in Homer, he’s no stranger to the playoffs after leading Jefferson to nearly a dozen playoff appearances. The current Banks County roster is also no stranger to deep playoff runs as part of a Class 2A state runner-up finish in 2023 and a quarterfinal run last year.
“I have really enjoyed being back on the sidelines,” Gibson said. “We have a great staff with Coach (Boling) DuBose and Coach (Amanda) Grier and a great group of girls to work with, so it’s been a lot of fun. But all we’ve been concerned with is the next game on our schedule. And right now, that’s Rabun County.”
Dillard is also aware that the first two meetings were lopsided losses. She said dealing with the intangibles will be a big factor in the third matchup.
“Playoff games are tough no matter who the opponent is,” she said. “With a ‘new’ team to prepare for, you certainly have a lot of unknowns. And with someone you’ve played before, you have to battle the mind game of looking at what can be and not what has happened (in the past).
“We will have to limit turnovers and their points in transition. We also will have to play great defense and have really good offensive execution.”
Gibson knows repeating the same game plan successfully will be the challenge.
“Rebounding the ball on both ends and taking care of the basketball will be big keys for us,” he said. “But like I’m sure they did, we held a few things back in the regular season, so hopefully, we can create a few scoring opportunities for this one.”
For Dillard, despite the roller-coaster season, she always felt her young squad of seven freshmen and sophomores and just two seniors were capable -- if they could find the necessary consistency.
“I feel like if we play our best basketball, we are certainly capable of competing with anyone,” she said. “We have to be consistent with our mental discipline and physical execution for that to happen for us the rest of the way.”
After Tuesday, either the Lady Wildcats Cinderella run continues or the Lady Leopards' dominant season rolls on.
