LebCo Female Athletes of the Week: Kaila Francis & Liliana Harrison (Week Ending December 15, 2024)

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Liliana Harrison

Liliana Harrison has been a significant part of the success of the Lebanon Cedars in recent years. The 6’3” forward has shown early on in her senior year that her elevated level of play has made Lebanon into a team that could push deep into the State Championship Tournament. During the Week of December 9th, the Cedars defeated both Reading and McCaskey. In those games, Harrison averaged 14 points and 13.5 rebounds. Following these performances, the LebCoSports.com community chose her as a LebCo Athlete of the Week.

Harrison averaged 14 points, 12 rebounds, a steal, and over 2 blocks per contest through the first five games of the season. Since then, she has continued to contribute at a commendable clip, having scored 13 and 21 points in wins over Palmyra and Northern Lebanon, respectively, to secure the Lebanon Holiday Tournament Championship for the Cedars. Currently, Lebanon holds a record of 7-2 and is currently 4th in the District 3 Power Rankings (6A).

Harrison’s success is not limited to this year, as she now sits with over 800 points and 800 rebounds for her career. If she can reach the 1,000 mark in both, essentially averaging a double-double for four years, she will become just the second Lebanon player to accomplish the feat. Additionally, she is also closing in on the 200 block milestone. In the last two seasons, she was named as one of the best players featured as part of the LebCo All-County Team published on this site among a field that contains many talented athletes.

Harrison’s play complements the guard play of Kailah Correa and Olive Brandt, both dynamic scorers. Coach Jaime Walborn explained: “Lili has made remarkable contributions to our team throughout her high school career. Her presence under the basket is like no one else – and her ability to grab rebounds, catch passes from our quick guards, and physically defend has been game-changing.”

Brandt, Harrison, & Correa (Lebanon Athletics Facebook)

Harrison understands the dynamic of the team and what she brings to the court. As far as the team’s goals go, Harrison is one of the returning starters from teams that have finished as runners-up in each of the last two Lancaster Lebanon League Championship games. Harrison does not want to be a “runner up”.

Her desire to be better was evident when she was asked about her performances against Lebanon’s urban rivals. She said, “I think my performance was okay. I know I can do better.”

Harrison is admittedly an introvert, something she is working to improve. Her shy nature does not mean that she lacks confidence around her teammates. Coach Walborn points to the impact that Harrison has had: “Beyond her presence on the court, she is one of the kindest and most supportive teammates. It’s great to see her recognized for her impact on the game. She has shown significant growth over the last couple of seasons, and I believe she will continue to grow as a player on the court and leader off the court.”

When it comes to her improvement in the mental, physical, and academic aspects of being a student-athlete, Harrison has a strong support network. Beyond Coach Walborn and newly hired varsity assistant coach Ariel Jones, Harrison has learned a lot from Milton Hershey’s Tina Thomas and her husband, who she has played for in AAU.

That said, Harrison recognizes that above all, her #1 supporter is her mother, Tiffany DeJesus-Painter, making sure her daughter is ready to go in all aspects of life. This includes aiding her in the current college search as Harrison weighs where she will be continuing her playing career once graduating from Lebanon in June.

Beyond basketball, Harrison just finished her last season playing volleyball for Lebanon and is also a member of the track & field team, where she is one of the League’s top throwers. When not competing, Harrison is usually “cooking, doing TikTok’s, or hanging out with friends”.

Though a mild-mannered, funny young woman, Harrison’s ferocity has been revealed when it comes to her desire to help the Cedars reach new heights. We wish Lili and all of the Cedars the best of luck in making it a reality. It should be a fun ride!

Kaila Francis

Last week, Cedar Crest’s Kaila Francis had two fantastic games, as the Lady Falcons had split outcomes versus William Penn (York) and Hempfield. In the loss to William Penn, Francis had 15 points, 6 rebounds, & 4 blocks. The junior forward followed it up with 12 points, 9 rebounds, & 3 blocks in the win over the Black Knights, a game in which she went 4-4 from the foul line and took a charge. As a result of these two impressive stat lines, Francis was voted by the LebCoSports.com community as a LebCo Athlete of the Week.

Francis has been a force on the court for Cedar Crest, going back to her debut in her freshman year. She has finished the last two seasons with LebCo All-County honors. Last season, the 6’2″ Francis averaged 9.2 points and 6 rebounds. The start of her junior year is showing that she will make it three straight years being recognized as one of LebCo’s top players.

However, “K” Francis is not focused on her own personal accolades. When asked about her recent success, Francis focused primarily on the efforts of the team: “We had some tough games against tough opponents last week. Hempfield is always a tough team, and they were our first game in Section 1. We knew coming into it that we had to play tough. We played really well and definitely played together as a team. That win was a team effort, and everyone contributed, like making foul shots, playing hard defense, or scoring when we needed it!”

When asked about her goals for the season, Francis again focused on the team improving from last year’s 13-10 record. She said her goal is for Cedar Crest to be the “most improved team by the end of the season.” She is hoping to help reach that goal by being a solid leader for a team that features several underclassmen, including freshmen Elli Malinoski and Ali Groff in the starting lineup.

Francis’s knack for leadership started at home, following in the footsteps of her mother, who she considers to be her mother and her biggest supporter. This support has included many sacrifices, including driving to Philly, where Francis’s AAU club is based. Unfortunately, Francis’s grandfather, whom she called “Pop Pop” passed away during last season, leaving her with a heavy heart as she battled through the challenges of the season.

Less than halfway through her junior season, Francis still has a lot of competition left at the high school level. Her career won’t end with her time in South Lebanon, as she has already committed to continue her playing career at Colgate University.

For now, we wish Francis and her Cedar Crest teammates all the best as they work their way through the 2024-2025 schedule. While 4-5, they have gotten many of their toughest opponents out of the way and look poised to start racking out the wins. We will be watching closely as they do.

Photos provided by Cedar Crest Girls Basketball

Read about this week’s LebCo Male Athlete of the Week: Robert Santiago

For a full list of this week’s nominees, check out: Athlete of the Week Voting: December 9-15

Previous Winners

Mya Doster (Week of December 2nd)

Olivia Shutter (Week of December 2nd)