Senior Pierce Ayers attempts to inbound the ball during a March. 5, 2024, district final matchup at Dayton Arena.
A March 5 61-52 defeat at the hands of Preble Shawnee ended a historic season for Williamsburg. The 2023-2024 campaign was a monumental success for the Wildcats, a program that had never reached a district final.
This matchup appeared to be a great one on paper going in. Preble Shawnee finished tied for 10th in the final OHSAA DIII poll, meanwhile, the Wildcats came in at 23-2 overall, champions of the SBAAC National Division. Both teams faced little to no resistance to get to this point, but the Arrows had to scrape and claw for this district title.
There were stretches in the first half when it looked like the Arrows might pull away, but the Wildcats kept fighting back. Brody Fisher was the beneficiary of some favorable size matchups, as well as some good dump-off passes, scoring nine first-half points. J.J. Miller had six points at the break, but his team trailed 29-23.
Although they were in it on the scoreboard, Williamsburg seemed to lack the assertiveness on the offensive end that helped them get to this point, oftentimes settling for contested and or long-range shots.
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