Oak Ridge Today

Jones named MVP as Wildcats win fifth straight district championship

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats won their fifth straight District 3-AAA championship with an 86-58 victory over Powell at Clinton on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats won their fifth straight District 3-AAA championship with an 86-58 victory over Powell at Clinton on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

CLINTON—Oak Ridge senior Tajion Jones was named most valuable player as the Wildcats won their fifth straight District 3-AAA championship with an 86-58 victory over Powell at Clinton on Tuesday.

Oak Ridge (26-2) will play West, which finished fourth in District 4-AAA, in a first-round Region 2-AAA game at Wildcat Arena at 7 p.m. Saturday. West (15-17) lost to Hardin Valley 64-58 in the third-place District 4 game on Tuesday.

The Wildcats, the top seed in the District 3-AAA basketball tournament, advanced to the district championship at Clinton High School on Tuesday by beating Clinton, which had been the number five seed, 111-77 in a semifinal game on Saturday.

Oak Ridge was led against Powell on Tuesday by senior Anthony Gibson. He scored a game-high 24 points, with 22 of those in the first half. Gibson knocked down three three-point shots.

Jones scored 21, with 12 of those on four three-point shots. Jones, a Mr. Basketball finalist in Class AAA, also had a baseline drive for a dunk. [Read more…]

Wildcats put on show. The highlight: A between-the-legs dunk

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Oak Ridge senior Tee Higgins (5) crosses the ball between his legs, from his left hand to his right, on a dunk during a 111-77 semifinal win at Clinton in the District 3-AAA tournament on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLINTON—You’ve probably never seen this in a high school basketball game before. You might not ever seen it again. A between-the-legs dunk.

It happened Saturday night in Clinton. Oak Ridge senior Tee Higgins told Coach Aaron Green at halftime during a District 3-AAA semifinal game that he was going to do the between-the-legs dunk if he had a chance.

That was okay, Green said, as long as Higgins made it. He did.

Higgins was wide open on a break from half court, and after launching into the air, he moved the basketball between his legs from his left hand to his right before winding up and slamming it through the hoop with his right.

The move fired up fans. Even Clinton fans enjoyed it.

Green said you might not even see that kind of dunk in college or NBA games.

“Those are dunks that are done in dunking contests,” he said. “I wish I could do that, to be honest with you.” [Read more…]

Campbell County finishes first, Clinton second in Christmas basketball tournament

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Daraon Jones (10) led Clinton with 12 points during a 57-46 loss to Campbell County during the Don W. Lockard Christmas Invitational Championship at Clinton High School on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

CLINTON—Campbell County held off a second-half rally by Clinton to beat the Dragon 57-46 and win the championship at the Don W. Lockard Christmas Invitational basketball tournament on Wednesday. Clinton finished as runner-up.

The tournament began at Clinton High School on Monday, and it ended on Wednesday.

Wednesday started with the Campbell County boys (12-5, 2-3 District 3-AAA) erasing an early 13-point deficit to blow out Oakdale 77-52.

The afternoon session began with Clinton’s boys—resting many of their starters—holding off First Baptist Academy, or FBA, 70-62. [Read more…]

Dragons advance in district tournament after three-overtime win over Campbell Co.

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Information from WYSH Radio

The Clinton Dragons outlasted the Campbell County Cougars 61-56 in three overtimes Wednesday night to survive and advance in the District 3-AAA basketball tournament at Anderson County High School.

Dragon sophomore Daraon Jones scored a career-high 32 points, including seven in the third extra session, as Clinton secured a spot in the second round and set up a showdown with Karns at 7 p.m. Friday. A win will send the Dragons into a Saturday semifinal against Central at 6 p.m., and it will also secure them a spot in next week’s Region 2 tournament.

Elijah Phillips scored all 14 of his points in the second half to lead the Cougars, who led by as many as nine points in the second half before the Dragons closed the gap and ultimately sent the game into overtime. [Read more…]