By Michael Boytim

mboytim@altoonamirror.com

Williamsburg girls basketball coach Amy Hileman has stepped down as the program’s leader following five successful seasons.

Hileman’s daughter, Ayla, graduated this year and will continue her basketball career at Frostburg State, which factored into Amy’s decision.

“I knew going into taking the job five years ago that I would have a decision at the end of this year when Ayla graduated,” Hileman said. “Because if she was playing basketball somewhere, I wanted to have the freedom to go watch her. I have been coaching since my oldest kid was in second grade. That’s 15 years of elementary through junior high to varsity coaching, and I’m at a point where I need to have more time.”

Hileman helped rebuild a Williamsburg program with a strong history, but her success was mixed with heartbreak during her tenure.

The Lady Pirates won a District 6 Class 1A championship in 2023 and reached the PIAA semifinals in 2022 and 2024, but Williamsburg has been eliminated in the postseason by the eventual state champion in each of the last four seasons (Bishop Guilfoyle, 2021; Northumberland Christian, 2022; Union, 2023 and Bishop Guilfoyle, 2024).

“We have always loved basketball,” Hileman said. “I grew up in a basketball family. Every holiday meal we’re always talking basketball. You have the same dreams for your kids, and you want them to experience some of the same things you did and even more.

“My biggest memory of playing was having the following from the community. The packed stands and the people rooting for you. That really meant more to me than any title that came down the line. That community coming together to cheer on a team is something to experience, and I’m very blessed to have been able to give that to the kids I have worked with.”

Williamsburg edged Berlin Brothersvalley in the PIAA quarterfinals this season before dropping a tightly-contest semifinal to BG at the AAHS Fieldhouse in