Oak Ridge Today

Dowdell leads Lady Wildcats with 18 in win over Science Hill

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Oak Ridge sophomore post Mykia Dowdell (34) led the Lady Wildcats with 18 points during a 49-32 win over Science Hill at home on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:17 a.m.

Oak Ridge sophomore post Mykia Dowdell led the Lady Wildcats with 18 points during a 49-32 win over Science Hill at home on Saturday.

The Oak Ridge defense held the Lady Hilltoppers to eight points in the first half, although the Lady Wildcats only managed to score 14 points of their own in the first two quarters.

But Oak Ridge (9-2, 5-0 District 3-AAA) scored twice as many points in the third quarter as Science Hill, 22-11, to take the win.

Lady Wildcats Coach Paige Green said she was a little frustrated at halftime with the low-scoring game. But on the other hand, the Oak Ridge defense had held the Lady Hilltoppers to just eight points, Green said.

“Our defense will be what will help us win games,” she said. [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats defense shines in 42-34 win over Dobyns-Bennett

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Freshman point guard Jada Guinn (24) led Oak Ridge with 13 points during a 42-34 win over Dobyns-Bennett at Wildcat Arena on Friday, Dec. 18, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Lady Wildcats defense played its best game of the year as Oak Ridge beat Dobyns-Bennett 42-34 at home on Friday, Coach Paige Green said.

The Lady Wildcats missed 13 layups and 14 or 15 free throws, Green said. But, “we can fix layups and free throws,” Green said during the two-day Rick McGill Toyota Classic at Wildcat Arena.

The teams exchanged leads in the first half. Oak Ridge trailed 7-8 at the end of the first quarter, and the Lady Wildcats led 18-15 at halftime. Oak Ridge kept a narrow 28-26 lead through the third quarter after Dobyns-Bennett tied it at 24, but the Lady Wildcats outscored the Lady Indians 14-8 in the final quarter.

Freshman point guard Jada Guinn led Oak Ridge (8-2, 5-0 District 3-AAA) with 13 points, and she scored nine of those in the fourth quarter. [Read more…]

Basketball: Undefeated in district, Oak Ridge boys, girls beat Anderson County

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Boys Basketball Team Nov. 17, 2015

Members of the Oak Ridge Wildcats boys basketball team are pictured above during the season-opener on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015. From left are juniors Tyshawn Young (15), Tajion Jones (3), and E.J. Bush (2), seniors Geevantay Gee (12) and Javien Johnson (11), junior Deandre Gibson (10), and senior Darel Middleton (33). (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge boys and girls basketball teams both beat Anderson County on Friday, and both teams are now 4-0 in district games.

The undefeated Wildcats (11-0, 4-0 District 3-AAA) defeated the Mavericks 79-44.

And the Lady Wildcats (6-2, 4-0) beat the Lady Mavericks 58-31.

Oak Ridge junior Tee Higgins had the game high with 19 points in the boys game. Junior Tajion Jones scored 17, again hitting five three-pointers, as he did on Tuesday at Powell, according to Oak Ridge Wildcats.
[Read more…]

Lady Wildcats end seven-game losing streak to Powell with 55-43 win

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Oak Ridge sophomore post Mykia Dowdell (34) scored a game-high 21 points for the Lady Wildcats during a 55-43 win at Powell on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

POWELL—The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats ended a seven-game losing streak to Powell with a 55-43 win over the Lady Panthers on Tuesday.

Oak Ridge was led by sophomore Mykia Dowdell, who tied her season high of 21 points. Dowdell got off to a hot start, scoring eight points in the first quarter.

Lady Wildcats Coach Paige Green said the girls played four quarters of basketball and kept their composure, even when Powell narrowed the lead. The score at halftime was 27-24, but Oak Ridge (5-2, 3-0 District 3-AAA) was able to widen it in the second half.

“Our defense was huge in the fourth quarter,” Green said. The Lady Wildcats were also able to get the ball inside to Dowdell and attack the rim, she said. [Read more…]

Playing for team, Middleton scores 18, rebounds 15 in blowout over Central

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Playing for his team, senior post Darel Middleton (33) had one of his best games as an Oak Ridge Wildcat, scoring 18 points and picking up 15 rebounds during a 94-66 win over Central on Friday, Dec. 4, 2015. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:30 p.m.

Playing for his team, senior Darel Middleton had one of his best games as an Oak Ridge Wildcat, scoring 18 points and picking up 15 rebounds during a 94-66 win over Central on Friday.

It was the most memorable performance by Middleton, a 6-foot-6 post, since he scored 14 points and pulled down 10 rebounds against Memphis East in the state quarterfinal game in March.

“I just felt like I owed my team,” said Middleton, who said he’s gotten into a little trouble this year. “I gave them my all tonight and from now on.”

Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said Middleton is playing a lot harder this year than he did last year.

“He played well,” Green said. “He’s been playing well.” [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats lose lead in final seconds, falling to Farragut 32-31

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Oak Ridge sophmore Mykia Dowdell (34) led the Lady Wildcats with a game-high 16 points in a 32-31 loss to Farragut at Wildcat Arena on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge had the basketball and a one-point lead with 13.4 seconds to go. But the Lady Wildcats struggled to get the ball inbounds in their own end, and Farragut regained possession on a jump ball. The Lady Admirals quickly scored on a layup by senior Miranda Burt to take a one-point lead with about six seconds left.

Oak Ridge was unable to score again, and the Lady Wildcats lost to the Lady Admirals 32-31 at Wildcat Arena on Thursday. It’s the second loss to Farragut in the past two weeks. But this game was closer than the earlier match on Monday, November 23, when Oak Ridge fell to the Lady Admirals 52-39.

The Lady Wildcats (3-2, 1-0 District 3-AAA) had six turnovers in the first quarter on Thursday but were only behind by two, 7-5, after a low-scoring first quarter. The Wildcats came back in the second quarter and took a 16-11 halftime lead. [Read more…]

Higgins hits four three-pointers as Wildcats start 2-0

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Oak Ridge senior guard Geevantay Gee (12) drives to the basket during a 93-61 win over CAK at home on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

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

Junior Tee Higgins hit four three-point shots on Thursday as the Oak Ridge Wildcats—both the boys and girls teams—started the regular season 2-0 with wins over Grace Christian on Tuesday and Christian Academy of Knoxville on Thursday.

The girls beat CAK 64-42 at home on Thursday, and the boys won 93-61.

The boys had 12 players scoring on Tuesday. They had 10 scoring on Wednesday.

They hit 10 three-point shots on Tuesday. They had nine more on Thursday.

“That’s not a fluke,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said. Four different players hit three-point shots: Higgins had four, all in the first half; juniors Tajion Jones and Deandre Gibson each had two; and senior Javien Johnson had one. [Read more…]

Wildcats open basketball season with wins over Grace

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Boys Basketball Team Nov. 17, 2015

Members of the Oak Ridge Wildcats boys basketball team are pictured above during an 87-67 season-opening win over Grace Christian at home on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015. From left are juniors Tyshawn Young (15), Tajion Jones (3), and E.J. Bush (2); seniors Geevantay Gee (12) and Javien Johnson (11); junior Deandre Gibson (10); and senior Darel Middleton (33), who did not play Tuesday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:15 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats boys and girls basketball teams opened the regular season with wins over Grace Christian on Tuesday.

The boys won 87-67, and the girls won 39-27. It was the first game for new coach Paige Green, who replaced former girls coach David Scott in June. Paige Green is married to Aaron Green, the boys basketball coach.

The Oak Ridge teams play at home again tonight (Thursday, November 19) against the Christian Academy of Knoxville (CAK). The girls game starts at 6 p.m., and the boys game begins at 7:30. [Read more…]

Powell beats Lady Wildcats in overtime 60-54

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Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats Caelyn Thompson and Courtney Ellison

Oak Ridge junior Caelyn Thompson (22) had seven points during a district tournament semifinal game against Powell on Saturday, and sophomore Courtney Ellison, seen here behind Thompson, led all Lady Wildcats with 17, including three three-point shots. (Photo by Luther Simmons) 

 

Note: This story was last updated at 7:08 p.m.

KNOXVILLE—The Lady Wildcats took a one-point lead on a three-point shot by Princess Bates with nine seconds left, but Powell rallied in overtime to beat Oak Ridge 60-54 in a district tournament semifinal game in Knoxville on Saturday.

The Lady Wildcats, who have qualified for the Region 2 tournament, will play for third place in a consolation game against the loser of the Saturday afternoon game between Anderson County and Halls. The consolation game starts at 6 p.m. Monday at Central High School in Knoxville.

The Lady Wildcats led 27-22 at halftime and stayed on top for much of the second half, leading by as much as seven points. They got big momentum boosts from the three three-point shots of sophomore point guard/wing Courtney Ellison, who led Oak Ridge with 17 points, and three more from freshman wing/post Jasmine Hembry, who scored 12.

Bates, a freshman wing, and Caelyn Thompson, a junior post, each had seven.

Oak Ridge hit a total of eight three-point shots, for 24 points total.

“You hate it for them,” Oak Ridge Coach David Scott said of his team’s loss in the high-pressure game, undecided until the final seconds of the four-minute overtime. “They worked so hard.” [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats advance to district semifinals; Clinton falls to Halls

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Courtney Ellison and Destiny Kassner of the Lady Wildcats

Sophomore point guard Courtney Ellison (10) dribbles up court ahead of freshman Destiny Kassner as the Lady Wildcats wallop Gibbs 64-36 in a quarterfinal district tournament game in Knoxville on Thursday. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

KNOXVILLE—The Lady Wildcats advanced to the district semifinals and guaranteed themselves at least three more playoff games in a 64-36 rout of Gibbs in a quarterfinal game on Thursday. They’ve also qualified for the Region 2 tournament.

Oak Ridge, the number three seed, will take on Powell, the number two seed, at 3 p.m. Saturday at Central High School in Knoxville.

Meanwhile, the Clinton Dragons boys’ team fell to Halls 46-32 in another quarterfinal game on Thursday. Halls, the number three seed in the District 3-AAA tournament, will take on Karns, the number two seed, at 6 p.m. Saturday.

That game will be followed by a matchup between Oak Ridge, the number one seed, and the winner of today’s elimination game between Anderson County and Central.

The game between the Mavericks and Bobcats starts at 7:30 p.m. today (Friday, February 13) at Central. [Read more…]

Wildcats wipe out Fulton lead on three-pointer by Higgins

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Tee Higgins at Fulton

Tee Higgins (5) of Oak Ridge had 20 points, 13 rebounds, and the game-winning three-pointer against Fulton on Saturday. (Photo by Luther Simmons) 

 

KNOXVILLE—The Wildcats needed a big basket late in the game, and Tee Higgins hit one. With his team down by two, the sophomore stayed cool under pressure and hit a three-point shot with 3.1 seconds left to give Oak Ridge a one-point victory over Fulton in front of a raucous sold-out crowd at Jody Wright Arena in Knoxville on Saturday.

The dramatic all-out battle was the last regular-season game for the two top-five teams.

The Falcons dominated early, applying pressure that hurt Oak Ridge, and they led by as much as nine points through much of the fast and furious first half. The Wildcats were “out of whack” offensively, Coach Aaron Green said.

But Oak Ridge got back into the game behind sophomore Anthony Gibson, who came off the bench to score 10 points in the first half and 13 on the night. [Read more…]

Undefeated in district, Wildcats end regular season at Fulton on Saturday

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Geevantay Gee of Oak Ridge Wildcats at Karns

Geevantay Gee of Oak Ridge (12) had eight points and 10 assists against the Karns Beavers in the last regular-season district game on Friday. (Photo by Terri Blair)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:55 a.m. Feb. 7.

Oak Ridge ends regular season at Fulton on Saturday

KARNS—The first game was a blowout. The second wasn’t.

In early January, the Oak Ridge Wildcats rolled over Karns 83-49.

But on Friday night, the Beavers kept it closer, pulling within one point (32-31) late in the second quarter.

But the Wildcats gave themselves a five-point cushion going into halftime and stretched their lead to 16 late in the third. Karns struggled to cut into the Wildcats’ double-digit lead throughout the fourth. [Read more…]