The Williamsburg Yellow Jackets will be participating in their first Sweet Sixteen in 69 years after they dethroned two-time defending 13th Region champion Clay County last week, 70-61, at The Arena.

It's been a magical season for Patrick Robinson's squad, who will enter the state tournament with the lowest enrollment (229) among participating schools.

Williamsburg started the season off a couple of weeks later than most schools due to its football team's success, but it didn't seem to phase the senior-laden team, who began the season with an impressive 17-0 record. The Yellow Jackets turned out to be the last team to lose in the state, thanks to Danville defeating them in first round action of the All 'A' Classic State Tournament.

Williamsburg won the Cumberland Falls Invitational a few weeks earlier by rallying from a nine-point deficit with less than two minutes remaining against Corbin, a team they would defeat four times this season.

The Yellow Jackets also captured the 13th Region All 'A' Classic championship by holding off Barbourville at Harlan, 56-54.

Patrick Robinson's squad didn't suffer its first regional defeat until Feb. 12 when South Laurel handed Williamsburg a 59-50 loss. That's when things began to change for the Yellow Jackets.

After suffering a 110-78 loss to Lawrence County on Feb. 7 and a 45-43 defeat at the hands of Whitley County on Feb. 9, Robinson inserted senior forward Fred Massey into the starting line-up, and the Yellow Jackets responded by reeling off seven straight wins, which included two wins over South Laurel, a victory over Corbin in the 50th District championship, and wins over Jackson County, Barbourville and Clay County in the 13th Region Tournament, setting up its first round match-up in the Sweet Sixteen against Louisville Doss.

A win over Doss would give Williamsburg its 26th win, matching the Yellow Jackets' most wins in school history, a feat the Yellow Jackets accomplished in 1999-00 under former coach Brent West and former coach Wallace Hicks in '45-46.

Williamsburg is led by a solid senior group, as Corey Shelton leads the way with a 17.3 scoring average while Skyler Griffith (14.9), Andrew Griffith (13.5, 6.6 rebounds per game), Fred Massey (8.6, 5.8) and Chase Lowrie (5.6) follows.

Andrew Griffith and Massey are hard to stop down low, with each player connecting on 62.4 and 58.3 percent from the floor during the season while Lowrie, Shelton, and Skyler Griffith are solid from three-point range. Shelton is 60-of-145 from three-point range while Lowrie is 20-of-47 and Skyler Griffith is 52-of-131.

 

Williamsburg's starting 5

G - Skyler Griffith

G - Chase Lowrie

G - Cory Shelton

F - Fred Massey

F - Andrew Griffith

 

Key Reserves

F - Eric Poore

C - Ethan Wilson

G - Michael Rose-Creekmore

G - Garrett Faulkner

 

Coach - Patrick Robinson 9 years (101-128 career record)

Very good article! Very informative! As you presented Williamsburg, they may become a Sweet 16 fan favorite if they should win a game and start on a roll. Go Jackets!

Thank you!