Just as the Richmond Hill High School Lady Wildcats basketball team caps off a historical season, winning 70% of their games and sitting at 19-8 on the year–several players were honored by the region for their performances. 

All five starters on the Lady Wildcats team--Mmekom Inyang, Jada Brown, Cullen McCormick, Emari Brown, and Ariyana Canady--earned an accolade from GHSA Region 1-6A classifications.

For the second straight year, the Defensive Player of the Year Award goes to none other than Howard University Track and Field commit, senior Mmekom Inyang. Inyang routinely stuffed opponents’ attempts at scoring and passing the ball to their teammates as she would block shots, play suffocating defense and grab steals. 

Senior Jada Brown would make First Team All-Region for the Lady ‘Cats in her final year at Richmond Hill. Brown got things done on both ends of the floor and elevated her game during her senior year to become a more polished passer and scorer, while improving on defense. 

Junior Cullen McCormick would also earn First Team All-Region Honors on the year. McCormick turned into a quiet leader on the year from being a role player last year, and made improvements to all phases of her game. She blocked multiple shots per game, improved on her scoring and even added a three-point shot element to her game on the year. Her best game came against Camden with 18 points and 15 rebounds. 

Junior Emari Brown earned Second Team All-Region Honors on the season. From role player last year to running the flood this year, Brown stepped into a leadership role and thrived in it. Her aggressive play on defense routinely saw her grabbing steals and blocking shots. Offensively, she did a great job of scoring in transition and can make shots in traffic. 

Ariyana Canady earned Honorable Mention Honors for her play this year. Canady was also a role player last season but stepped up in a big way in assisting the Lady ‘Cats with their impressive run this season. She did a great job all year of being an outlet that was sure-handed and rarely committed mistakes or turnovers. She also made shots when needed and played great defense on the year. 

While the Lady ‘Cats may not have been able to finish the season off the way they wanted to, a lot can be said of the run they made with only six varsity players on the team. That group stuck together all year and allowing for all five starters to earn awards is impressive in its own right. 

With three of those five graduating in May, Richmond Hill knows what lies ahead and will be leaning on Emari Brown and Cullen McCormick to build upon next season in their new high school campus.