MANCHESTER — The Williamsburg Yellow Jackets put together one heck of a run this past week to capture the 13th Region All ‘A’ Classic Tournament championship.
The Yellow Jackets came into Tuesday’s matchup with the Harlan Green Dragons already defeating both Barbourville, and Oneida Baptist to get the opportunity to play in the title game.
Williamsburg rallied from a first half deficit to pull out a 54-51 win over Harlan, who entered the tournament ranked No. 10 in the region, and as defending 13th Region All ‘A’ Classic champions.
“Unbelievable,” Williamsburg coach Anthony Hibbard said. “Not one person outside our team believed we could pull this one off. Our guys understood the assignment and put together three great games with the last game knocking off four-time defending champion, Harlan. So impressed by our composure down the stretch, especially when I think about the previous month. “Our guys have grown so much, individually and collectively,” he added. “Overall, this victory means so much for our community. Our guys know that. Special things happen when people put selfish ambition aside and play for the name on the front instead of the name on the back. This team is a perfect example of that. We got a bunch of guys that a month ago did not even believe in themselves.
“Now, they can call themselves champions,” Hibbard continued. “We just keep reiterating, ‘When things go good, we work hard. When things go bad, we work hard.’ They have allowed us to coach them and have worked extremely hard. Our community can celebrate because these guys represented them well and played for the name on the front of the jersey.”
The Yellow Jackets trailed throughout the first half but remained within striking distance.
Williamsburg trailed 17-11 after the first quarter, and 30-23 at halftime before making its move.
“Harlan jumped on us early and pulled out to a 8-0 lead to start the game,” Hibbard said. “We were down seven at the half. We made adjustments at the half and responded. During the second half, we did not panic. We just gradually chipped away at the lead. Eventually, we gained the lead and finished the game.
“Henry and Andrew are slowly becoming two of the top players in the region,” he added. “Henry is really blossoming into a great lead guard. Andrew has been a double-double machine for us. Conner Saylor and Cooper Prewitt made some big shots for us all tournament. Zach Bowen, Dalton Henderson, and Lakin Cunagin also gave us some big minutes. Overall, just incredibly proud of these guys and I’m excited to see how much we can improve.”
Andrew Smith scored 11 points in the third quarter while Cooper Prewitt added five points to help the Yellow Jackets take a slim 41-40 advantage stage into the fourth quarter.
The game remained tight throughout the final eight minutes, but Williamsburg managed to hold off Harlan to get the championship win.
Smith led the Yellow Jackets with 21 points while Henry Bowling added 13 points. Prewitt added nine points.
Kyler McLendon led the Green Dragons with 19 points while Nate Montanoro finished with 14 points.
