Lions start 2025 strong, extend record to 9-1

Published 2:19 pm Monday, January 27, 2025

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By Miles Dawkins
Contributing Writer

The Franklin-based Rock Church School varsity boys basketball team started 2025 with a trio of wins and a major career milestone achieved by one of its foremost standouts.

Coming off Christmas break the Rock Lions were eager to kick off the new year with a strong performance against the Bethel Assembly Christian Academy Eagles. Having won three consecutive games before the break, the Lions were determined to maintain that momentum, and they did just that. 

The game began slowly, with both teams tied 4-4 a few minutes in. But the Lions quickly found their rhythm in the second quarter, opening up a 20-point lead by halftime. 

From there, Rock cruised to a commanding 69-30 victory. 

An outstanding performance came from senior point guard Miles Dawkins, who led all scorers with 19 points, while also dishing out seven assists. He was closely followed by teammate sophomore guard/forward Jaedon Small, who added 18 points and seven rebounds, scoring both inside and beyond the arc. 

With the next conference game coming up, Rock was satisfied with its homecourt win, feeling confident as it headed into the busy stretch ahead. 

Head Coach Danny Dillon commented, “We are off to a good start in the new year. Our goal is to give God glory in all that we do. We have five starters that all understand the game. It’s pretty impressive what we accomplished considering we only have 16 students in our high school and only 55 total students K-12!”

Next up was Tidewater Academy, a team Rock hadn’t faced in years. While the Lions didn’t know what to expect, they were focused on using the game as another opportunity to show Christ through their play. 

Rock opened strong, scoring in transition and benefiting from several key baseline buckets by sophomore guard/forward Rylan Holloman.

Despite RCS taking a commanding lead midway through the third quarter, Tidewater continued to fight back, doing its best to keep the game within reach. However, the Lions remained steady and eventually pulled away, winning 70-41. 

The Lions had three players in double figures: Dawkins led with 21 points and seven assists, sophomore shooting guard Benny Dillon chipped in 15 points, and senior center/forward Christian Johnson recorded his third double-double of the season, with 11 points and 10 rebounds. 

Notably, the Lions shot 13-for-14 from the free-throw line, their best performance of the season.

With a tough conference opponent, Bethel Christian Pilots, up next, the Lions carried their winning streak into the matchup. Rock battled hard against the Pilots, ultimately securing a 67-45 victory. 

Heading into this contest, Dawkins, who transferred to The Rock from Jacksonville, Florida, as a sophomore, was just eight points shy of reaching a career milestone — his 1,000th point. Midway through the second quarter, Dawkins put up a shot left of the free throw line and swished it to reach the landmark total. The buzzer sounded, and the Rock Lions celebrated this great feat from Dawkins. 

Coach Dillon said, “Miles has been such a blessing to our school and basketball program. He came in and worked so well with (past Lions standout) DJ (Dillon) as a sophomore, as we won the 1A (Mid-Atlantic Christian Athletic Association) for the first time. He then carried the torch, being our leader on the court averaging more than 20 points a game his junior and senior years. 

“He is such a spiritual leader as well,” the coach continued. “He leads our team in prayer often and is bold about his relationship with Jesus. He desires to be a pastor one day, that’s why his nickname is ‘Preach!’ I couldn’t be more proud of him!”

Dawkins will look to help Rock make a run at the 1A MACAA title this year. Rock finished as runner-up last year. 

Dawkins also plans to attend Nelson University to continue his basketball career and study business and theology. 

He is the seventh player to whom Coach Dillon has given a 1,000-point ball. The other six players were either from Rock Church School or Franklin High School, where Danny Dillon coached for 15 years before building back the program at RCS. 

The Rock junior varsity boys basketball team has also continued its stellar 2024-25 season, moving to 11-0 with wins against Bethel and Victory Christian. The JV Lions continue to be led by sixth grader Dallas Dillon, who averages 21 points a game along with five assists.