The South Lakes basketball team is having a fantastic season and are on their way to play in the Class 6 State finals in Richmond on March 9th. There they will face Patriot High School. They hope to bring home the first state championship for boys’ basketball in the school’s history. Old players and new have contributed to the team’s string of wins. This year, the team welcomed sophomore Merrick Rillstone to the South Lakes varsity basketball team. Merrick Rillstone was named “Athlete of the Month” for March.
Rillstone plays small forward, and hopes that the team will win States. He is from Hamilton, New Zealand, and moved to Reston for the “schooling and basketball opportunities.” Rillstone previously played for the New Zealand national team in the U15 Oceania Championship in 2022, and the U16 Asian Championship in 2023.
Rillstone has been performing well with the team despite having to adapt to living halfway across the globe: “For the first two to three months it was quite hard to adjust to being away from my family and friends.” But with the school’s welcoming environment, he says that the basketball fans at South Lakes are “supportive.” Their coach, Mike Desmond, has been coaching the South Lakes boys basketball team since 2009 and said “[Merrick] has no back down in him so he earned respect.”
The semi-final game was against Hayfield High School, the two-time defending state champions. South Lakes emerged with a 52-41 win against Hayfield, to whom they had previously lost in the state semifinals the past 2 years. Rillstone had many highlights, including multiple steals, and “he has a million years of growth,” Desmond said. Rillstone has no doubts about the abundance of support: “I love the fans here, they’re really great and supportive.”
It’s been 21 years since the South Lakes Varsity Boys basketball team has gone to States since 2003 when they lost. “No matter what happens Saturday they have earned a place in Reston’s heart, and I am so grateful to have been around them,” Desmond said. The team’s goal is to win the Virginia State Championship. Despite the dramatic change in his location, Merrick Rillstone is thriving and proving that he is a valuable asset to the South Lakes basketball team.
