Williamsburg Yellow Jackets lose to Doss in first round of Sweet 16 tournament

Williamsburg seniors Michael Rose-Creekmore, Ethan Wilson, Garrett Faulkner and Eric Poore watch as the final seconds tick away in Wednesday night’s Sweet 16 first round game between the Yellow Jackets and the Doss Dragons

The Williamsburg Yellow Jackets boys basketball team ended their history-making 2014-15 season Wednesday night inside Rupp Arena in the first round of this year’s KHSAA state championship tournament.

The Jackets jumped out to a commanding 13-0 lead over the Region 6 champion Doss Dragons (27-6), and they led at the end of the first, second and third quarters of play. However, Doss would utilize strong defensive pressure to force several costly turnovers from Williamsburg, eventually going on to pull out the 56-50 win, ending the Jackets’ season with a record of 25-5.

“We started out really, really good,” said Williamsburg Head Coach Patrick Robinson in a postgame press conference. “We kind of had them off kilter, but as the game progressed I think some fatigue started setting in and we started making some mistakes that we don’t usually make.”

“You have to give Doss a lot of credit, though. They kept battling, and they kept the pressure on us. They made things very tough. They are a really good basketball team.”

The Williamsburg cheering section was loud and proud inside Rupp Arena Wednesday night.

After the 13-0 run by the Yellow Jackets, the Dragons took a time out to regroup. They came back out and cut the lead to 13-6, eventually trailing by just four points at the end of the quarter, 18-14. 

By this point, Doss was really ramping up their defensive efforts, resulting in Williamsburg turning the ball over and not being able to extend their lead beyond single digits. The Jackets were winning the rebound battle, however, and they were able to do enough offensively to ensure that they would remain in the lead at the half, 33-31.

A 6-0 run to begin the third quarter had Williamsburg back in control of the ball game, but the Dragons would not be denied. They battled back, pulling to within one point after a last second shot from senior point guard Dujuanta Weaver. Going into the fourth an final quarter of play the Yellow Jackets were barely hanging onto the lead, 45-44.

Doss finally took their first lead of the game when a three-point bucket put them on top, 47-45, with 6:52 left in regulation. Williamsburg continued to fight hard, but they would not be able to regain the lead, eventually going on to lose 56-50. 

Head Coach Patrick Robinson, senior Corey Shelton, junior Andrew Griffith, and senior Skyler Griffith talk to the media after Wednesday’s loss in the first round of the 2015 Sweet 16 state championship tournament.

“This was really exciting,” said junior Yellow Jacket Andrew Griffith after the game when asked about the experience of getting to end his season playing inside Rupp Arena. “This is the biggest stage in the state of Kentucky, and not many people get to say that they’ve played here.”

“Before the region tournament all of the seniors came to an agreement that we wanted to end our careers playing on this floor,” added Skyler Griffith. “Running out onto the court before the start of the game was just an amazing feeling.”

Senior Corey Shelton said, “It’s a lot different to come out on the floor level and look up at everyone. This was a good gym to play in, and I had a lot of fun.”

Coach Robinson concluded by saying, “To end your career on this stage is the dream of every high school player. I’m just proud of our guys for the way that they have represented our school all season long, and in the state tournament.”

The Yellow Jackets lose a very talented senior class this year in Skyler Griffith, Corey Shelton, Chase Lowrie, Fred Massey, Ethan Wilson, Eric Poore, Michael Rose-Creekmore and Garrett Faulkner.

Doss 56, Williamsburg 50

Doss  –  14  17  13  12  –  56

W’burg – 18 15  12   5  –  50

Doss – Terrell Gray 24, Dujuanta Weaver 13, Jaylon Hall 7, Tyler Jefferson 6, Nick Anderson 4, Dajon McCarley 2

W’burg – Corey Shelton 19, Skyler Griffith 19, Andrew Griffith 6, Fred Massey 6

Doss total rebounds – 20, W’burg total rebounds – 26

Doss free throws – 6/9, W’burg free throws 16/23

Photos by TREVOR SHERMAN