Williamsburg is on the brink of the Wamac Conference West Division championship

When Stephanie Dacey took the Williamsburg High School girls’ basketball job nearly three years ago, she made something abundantly clear:

This wasn’t just for Carly Rich, her niece. And this wasn’t just a three-year deal.

Wednesday morning, a few hours after the Raiders put a stranglehold on the Wamac Conference West Division race, Dacey reiterated that.

“This wasn’t ever going to be just a three-year thing,” she said. “I’m excited for the future of this program.”

The present isn’t shabby, either.

In Year 3 of Dacey’s tenure, Williamsburg stands at 16-2 overall, 7-0 in the Wamac West. The Raiders are ranked No. 4 in Class 3A.

They were 5-17 in 2022-23, 14-9 last season.

Mathematically, there still is work to do to capture the West for the first time since 2014. But realistically, Tuesday’s 67-65 triumph over reigning 4A state champion Clear Creek Amana was the clincher.

“We got great production from everybody,” Dacey said. “And Carly had the mentality that she was going to attack the rim.”

Rich scored 25 points, including a 4-for-4 3-point barrage in the third quarter that gave the Raiders some separation. And they held on despite 36 points from CCA junior star Averie Lower.

Williamsburg’s eight-player rotation consists of two seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen.

Rich leads at 12.8 points per game. Zoe Allen, a junior post, adds 11.3 ppg.

Rich’s late father, Perry Rich, is the older brother of Dacey, who was Miss Iowa Basketball 2001 after leading Washington (Iowa) to three state championships.

“I’d been a fan of Williamsburg since Perry was terminally ill,” Dacey said. “The way they supported him and his family.

“He would be so proud of Carly. She’s never taken advantage of me being her aunt. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Williamsburg has a two-game divisional lead with three games to play, starting with a road test against Grinnell on Friday.

Four for Friday

Friday marks the last day of January, and league races are approaching their conclusion.

Here are four key games on Friday’s slate:

Iowa City West (11-6, 7-2 MVC) at Iowa City Liberty (13-3, 7-2) — The Mississippi Division race is likely to come down to a three-team round-robin between these two and front-runner Cedar Rapids Xavier (13-4, 8-2). Liberty won the non-league battle, 56-52, at West on Jan. 7.

Mount Vernon (16-1, 7-0 Wamac East) at Center Point-Urbana (11-5, 6-1) — The Class 3A top-ranked Mustangs have won 15 in a row, including a 68-41 verdict over the Stormin’ Pointers on Jan. 14. Since that night, CPU has beaten each of its other four divisional foes.

North Linn (15-1, 9-1 Tri-Rivers West) at Maquoketa Valley (17-0, 11-0) — The area’s last remaining unbeaten, Maquoketa Valley has clinched a share of the divisional title, and can win it outright with a season sweep of the Lynx. The Wildcats won at Troy Mills, 51-47, on Dec. 20.

Decorah (8-7, 4-1 NEIC) at Waukon (10-5, 3-1) — Decorah claimed a 58-45 home victory on Dec. 17, but Waukon hasn’t lost since, assembling a six-game post-holiday win streak. This is the Vikings’ Northeast Iowa Conference finale, so a win would wrap up the title. Waukon hosts Crestwood (10-6, 2-2) on Feb. 11.

Miller milestone

Morgan Miller became Iowa City Regina’s all-time leading career scorer Tuesday.

Miller has hit the 1,500-point mark, eclipsing the 1,480 that Mary Crompton scored in a Regina career that ended in 2018.

A 5-foot-6 senior, Miller is averaging 21.2 points per game this season, shooting 60.2 percent from the floor.

Countdown to the postseason

The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union is expected to release regional pairings next Wednesday for Class 3A, 2A and 1A, with the 5A and 4A bracket reveal the following week.

Regionals begin with 1A first-round games Feb. 13.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com