Girls ages 5-14 honed their basketball skills with the mentoring aid of the Rabun County High School girls team during the Lady Wildcats basketball camp June 10-13 at the Rabun County Recreation Department. “I like being able to coach them,” said Alyson Nix, a Wildcats player and mentor to the younger girls ages 5-9. “You get to share your love of basketball with the younger kids.” Girls participating in the camp worked on fundamental skills, teamwork and playing both one-on-one and three-on-three match-ups. The campers were led by RCHS players and coaches Dee Dee Dillard and April Adcock. “We work on agility and footwork and shot form,” Nix said. “We build teamwork and work on competitiveness.” Dillard said the camp presented a balancing act for planning activities and areas of the game to work on. “We’ve had to balance it between competitions, skill work and games,” she said “We worked a lot on ball handling and attacking the rim offensively, so we definitely saw improvement there.” Dillard said improvement in the sport comes slowly. “The kids that come back year to year, we see a dramatic improvement there,” Dillard said. “The ones that take the skills and work on them at home (improve the most).” Georgia Hickox, 9, showed off her new skills in three-on-three drills by driving to the hoop and earning several assists. Hickox said she learned the value of teamwork from the camp, among other skills. “I like the fun activities, and the coaches,” Hickox said, as she smiled at her high school comrades. Dillard said teamwork and friendships grew at the camp. “We try to foster personal relationships with the camp,” she said. Hickox said she planned to continue her basketball career with the recreation department’s youth league, which starts up in November. “We have a lot of girls that play with the recreation department in the winter, but also some that play, like the high schoolers, in the spring,” Dillard said. Coach Jeff Page and the RCHS boys basketball team also led their annual camp June 17-19. The squad taught children from 6 years old up to middle schoolers about fundamentals and competitive play. Campers also received a free T-shirt.

Jacqueline Ann Darnell, 75, of Rabun Gap, died Thursday, June 13, 2013, at Emory University Hospital after an extended illness. She was born May 24, 1938, in Rabun County to the late Brye Leman Darnell Sr. and Hulda Pauline Norton Darnell. She was retired as a clerk in the insurance industry and was a member of Betty’s Creek Baptist Church. Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by: a brother, Ross Darnell; and sisters Katherine Hyatt and Floss Sitton and and infant sister, Sarah Ann Darnell. Survivors include: a brother, Brye “Bud” Darnell Jr. (Joyce) of Cumming; two sisters, Joyce Thompson (Steve) of Rabun Gap and Lillian Smith (Jack) of Lakemont; four nieces, Gail Smith Hopper, Cami Garner Hopper, Tina Smith Johnson and Paula Hyatt Martin; a nephew, Van Garner Jr.; and two grandnieces and two grandnephews. Funeral services were held Sunday at the Hunter Funeral Home chapel with Rev. the Ray Conner and layman Lloyd Hunter officiating. Burial followed at Wesley Cemetery in Rabun Gap. Hunter Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. An online guestbook is available at www.hunterfuneralhomega.com.