Oak Ridge Today

Red Sox draft Oak Ridge pitcher Kevin Steen

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and Dobyns-Bennett

Kevin Steen, right, played for the Oak Ridge Wildcats basketball and baseball teams, and the right-handed pitcher was drafted by the Boston Red Sox on Friday. He is pictured above with Jaylin Henderson, left, during a March basketball game in Kingsport defending Tyleke Love of Dobyns-Bennett. (Photo by Ned Jilton II/Kingsport Times News)

The Boston Red Sox picked Kevin Steen, a right-handed pitcher from Oak Ridge High School, in the ninth round of the Major League Baseball draft on Friday.

Steen, who has committed to play baseball at the University of Tennessee, was the 284th pick in the three-day, 40-round First-Year Player Draft, which had more than 1,200 selections.

He was one of of four right-handers picked by the Red Sox on Day 2 of the draft, with only one selection coming straight from high school, the team said in a press release.

Steen also played basketball for the Oak Ridge Wildcats and helped lead the team to a state championship game in March for the first time since 1963. Oak Ridge finished as state Class AAA runner-up. [Read more…]

Girls basketball camps this month: Elite Academy, Skill Development Camp

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Oak Ridge High School girls basketball coach David Scott has released information on the girls basketball camp.

Here is the information:

Location: All camps will be held in the Oak Ridge High School Wildcat Arena at 127 Providence Road. [Read more…]

Two killed, two injured in car-train accident in Harriman

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Information from WYSH Radio

Two people were killed and two others seriously injured after a train crashed into a car Friday evening in Harriman.

Three of the four people in the car were basketball players at Roane State Community College, including two siblings, according to school officials. The Tennessee Highway Patrol report states that their vehicle was heading west on Tanglewood Drive when it attempted to cross at a railroad crossing and was hit by a train at around 8:45 p.m. Friday.

According to the report, 20-year-old Darius J. Gallaher of Harriman was driving the car and the passengers have been identified as 22-year-old Roderick Drummond from Greenville, S.C., 18-year-old Jadah Gallaher of Harriman, and 20-year-old Hunter Crass from Harriman. [Read more…]

Weather: Schools, courts, offices closed; Wildcats sectional game now on Tuesday

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Note: This story was last updated at 1:20 p.m.

Schools in Anderson County, Clinton, and Knox and Morgan counties are closed today (Monday) because of weather conditions and possible icing. And the Wildcats boys’ basketball sectional game in Kingsport, featuring Oak Ridge and Dobyns-Bennett, has been postponed to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Roane State Community College is closing its Campbell, Cumberland, Morgan, Scott, and Fentress county campuses due to icy roads. The campuses in Oak Ridge and Loudon, Knox, and Roane counties are open, but classes at the Clinton facility have been canceled.

The afternoon docket for the Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton has been canceled starting at 1 p.m. The afternoon docket for Anderson County Juvenile Court has also been canceled. And the Anderson County Courthouse closed at 1 p.m.

Tennessee officials said state offices will be closed the remainder of the day statewide, but mission-critical state employees will report to work as usual. [Read more…]

Wildcats advance to Region 2 finals with 61-58 win over Karns

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and Karns Beavers Region 2 Semifinals

Oak Ridge advanced to the Region 2 finals with a 61-58 win over Karns on Tuesday in front of one of the largest crowds ever at Wildcat Arena. The game’s theme was “America.”

Note: This story was last updated at 11:45 p.m.

The Oak Ridge boys’ basketball team advanced to the Region 2 finals with a 61-58 win over Karns on Tuesday in front of the one of the largest crowds ever at Wildcat Arena.

It was the third time this year that the Wildcats (29-6) have beat the Beavers, and the win guarantees them at least two more post-season games.

“It’s hard to beat any team three times, especially a good team,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said.

Oak Ridge will play Powell (22-9) at 7 p.m. Thursday at home in the Region 2 finals. The outcome will determine whether the Wildcats play at home or away in a Monday sectional game where teams will fight for a chance to go to the state tournament in Murfreesboro in March. [Read more…]

Anderson County eliminates Lady Wildcats 42-22; OR boys play Monday

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Anderson County eliminated the Lady Wildcats 42-22 in the second round of the District 3-AAA girls’ basketball tournament on Saturday at Powell.

The Lady Mavericks (16-11) will now play Halls (13-12) in a semifinal game at 4:30 p.m. Monday at Powell.

The Lady Wildcats (8-21) had advanced to the second round after eliminating Clinton 51-37 in a first-round game at Powell on Tuesday. [Read more…]

Wildcats win regular season district championship 87-69 over Karns

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Jaylin Henderson Dunk

Senior guard Jaylin Henderson dunks in the fourth quarter on Friday, giving the Oak Ridge Wildcats a 60-45 lead over the Karns Beavers. (Photo courtesy Bruce Phillips)

Note: This story was last updated at 11:55 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats won the regular season district championship in a 87-69 win over the Karns Beavers on Friday.

It was the second time this season the Beavers were able to chip away at a large Oak Ridge lead, again narrowing the deficit to one point, but the Wildcats used zone play and defensive stops to help maintain and then stretch out their lead.

The game featured 17 three-point baskets between the two teams—Karns had 11 of them—and three crowd-pleasing dunks by Wildcats, with one by senior guard Jaylin Henderson and two by senior forward Isaac Merian. Oak Ridge (25-5, 15-1 in District 3) led the entire game.

Both teams started the game 14-1 in the district. [Read more…]

Wildcats on eight-game win streak, three regular-season games remain

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Isaac Merian of the Oak Ridge Wildcats

Isaac Merian of the Oak Ridge Wildcats scores two against Campbell County on Thursday. (Photo courtesy Bruce Phillips)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats have won eight in a row, and the boys’ team will finish the regular season this week with three games against Gibbs, Karns, and Fulton.

The Wildcats (23-5, 13-1 in District 3) beat Campbell County 80-41 in a rescheduled game at home on Thursday, and they won at Knox Central 79-62 on Friday.

They play at Gibbs, a district opponent, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. That’s followed by games at home this weekend—against Karns on Friday and Fulton on Saturday. Oak Ridge beat Karns 70-64 on Jan. 11. [Read more…]

Wildcats hold lead, hand Karns its first district loss

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and Karns Beavers Basketball

Senior Isaac Merian goes up for a shot as the Oak Ridge Wildcats keep their halftime lead on Saturday and give the Karns Beavers their first district loss.

KARNS—Oak Ridge fans grew nervous as Karns chipped away at a 13-point halftime lead on Saturday night, but the Wildcats were able to hang on for a 70-64 win, handing the Beavers their first district loss and giving the fans a satisfying victory.

The Wildcats were up 39-26 at halftime, but Karns knocked the lead down to 65-64 with 41 seconds left in the hard-fought basketball game.

But Oak Ridge (17-5, 7-1 in District 3) held the lead and then widened it in the last half-minute through big plays and clutch free throws.

The Wildcats weren’t able to stop senior Devin Sibley of Karns on Saturday—he scored 29 points—but seniors Isaac Merian and Jaylin Henderson of Oak Ridge combined for 40 points, scoring 20 each. Ted Mitchell added 14, Gevantay Gee knocked down 11, and Kevin Steen contributed 5. [Read more…]

ORHS basketball clinic for Boys, Girls Club league on Monday

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Coach Aaron Green and the Oak Ridge High School basketball staff are hosting a free basketball skills camp on Monday for the Boys and Girls Club league.

The clinic is for children from kindergarten to seventh grade, and it’s from 6-7 p.m. Monday at the Oak Ridge High School Wildcat Arena. There is a coaches’ question-and-answer session from 7 to 7:30 p.m.

Call (865) 482-4433 for more information, or visit the Boys and Girls Club on Facebook.

Four inducted into Oak Ridge Sports Hall of Fame

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Oak Ridge Sports Hall of Fame

The 2013 inductees into the Oak Ridge Sports Hall of Fame are pictured above. From left in the front row are Jennifer Cristy Strawn, Bobby Richards, and Jennifer Wilson Galloway. Barry Saunders is in the back row. (Photo courtesy Mike Kelly)

Four people were recently inducted into the Oak Ridge Sports Hall of Fame.

They are Barry Saunders, Bobby Richards, Jennifer Wilson Galloway, and Jennifer Cristy Strawn.

An induction ceremony took place during halftime of the recent Oak Ridge High School homecoming game against Gibbs High School.

Here is more information on the four:

Barry Saunders has been a member of the football coaching staff at Oak Ridge High School for more than 35 years. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge basketball organizational meetings this month

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will have two organizational meetings this month for teams interested in playing basketball.

There is an Oct. 14 meeting for teams interested in playing in the Men’s Recreational Leagues. The meeting will be in the Club Room at the Civic Center at 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 14. League play is scheduled to begin the week of Dec. 2.

There will be an Oct. 29 meeting for teams interested in playing in the Youth Basketball Leagues. That meeting starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, in the Club Room at the Civic Center. All interested teams are invited to attend. [Read more…]