Williamsburg Yellow Jackets hoping to capitalize on their close proximity to 2024 All ‘A’ venue

When it was announced last year that the All “A” Classic state tournaments would be played in Corbin for the very first time, participating schools in the tri-county area began contemplating what it would be like to play in the event here at home, instead of having to travel to Richmond. This week, one area team, the Williamsburg Yellow Jackets, will have the opportunity to find out.

The Jackets, coached by Anthony Hibbard, earned the right to be a part of this year’s All “A” state tournament by defeating Barbourville, Oneida Baptist Institute and Harlan to win the 13^th Region All “A” title earlier this month. They followed that up with a 61-60 victory over 50^th District foes Whitley County on January 12 before snow and frigid temperatures moved in and cancelled all scheduled games in the area for several days.

Now that temperatures have risen and the southeastern Kentucky region has thawed out, the Jackets and 31 other qualifying teams are looking forward to really turning up the heat inside the Corbin Arena in the coming days.

Round one meeting with Murray Tigers on Thursday

With Wednesday’s All “A” action featuring all of the first-round games in the girls’ tournament, Williamsburg will have to wait until Thursday to compete in their opening round contest against the Region 1 champion Murray Tigers.

Murray is coming into the 2024 All “A” Classic riding an eight-game win streak that includes wins over Christian Fellowship, St. Mary and Carlisle County to win their Region 1 championship title. They look to be a veteran-led squad, with three of their top four scorers being seniors, and the fourth being a junior.

Last season, the Tigers made it to the All “A” state tournament only to be defeated in the first round by eventual state champions Evangel Christian, 65-43. They went on to win a district title, and advanced to the semi-finals of the 1^st Region tournament where the lost to Mayfield in overtime, 46-43.

The Jackets, meanwhile, are being led in scoring by sophomore Henry Bowling and junior Andrew Smith. Juniors Cooper Prewitt and Conner Saylor have also emerged as two keys to success, as has senior Zach Bowen, whose size and overall athleticism make him a threat from anywhere on the court.

Add in the talents of junior Lakin Cunagin, eighth grader Dalton Henderson, and others, and Williamsburg certainly has the tools in place to make a run in this week’s state tournament.

Looking ahead to the Elite Eight

Whoever comes out on top of the first-round matchup between the Jackets and the Tigers will face either the Raceland Rams (Region 16) or the Cinton County Bulldogs (Region 4). The Rams come into the tournament with a 10-8 overall record, defeating Rose Hill Christian, West Carter and Menifee County to win their regional title. The Bulldogs, who are also coming in at 10-8, defeated Russellville and Monroe County to secure their regional title.