Wildcats, Lady Wildcats edge Halls, set sights on first place

The Lady Wildcats and Wildcats of Oak Ridge traveled to Halls on Tuesday to take on the Lady Red Devils and Red Devils. The crowd at Halls is always loud and troublesome for visiting teams, but both sets of Wildcats came out unscathed against their opponents. The victories helped solidify each team’s place at the top of the district leaderboard.

Girls’ Team

A strong first half defensively for the Lady Wildcats proved to be the difference-maker in the end. Oak Ridge would squeak by the Lady Red Devils of Halls by a score of 50-42.

The Lady Wildcats opened the game up with a 13-4 run before going on to finish the first quarter ahead 18-6. The second quarter was a low-scoring quarter for both teams, as the Lady Wildcats only put up 10 points compared to eight by Halls. The score was 28-14 at the half.

Oak Ridge put up a steady barrage of points in the beginning of the second half. The Lady Wildcats made it 39-26 with time running down in the third quarter.

However, the Lady Red Devils then went on a 9-0 run that stretched into the fourth quarter. The game was soon 39-35. The Lady Wildcats lead seemed to be slipping.

After a timeout, Oak Ridge put their game face back on, and they went on to win the game 50-42.

“This group is just scratching the surface,” head coach David Scott said. “They provide some maddening moments, but then they also play really hard and get after it…That’s the thing you have to appreciate. They’re playing as hard as they can, and that’s all you can ask for.”

Princess Bates led the team in scoring with 19 points last night, including a three-pointer and four free throws. Ten of Bates’ points came in the first half.

Courtney Ellison was the only other Lady Wildcat in double figures. Ellison had 12 points, half of those coming from beyond the arc. Bates and Ellison hit the only three three-pointers of the night for the Lady Wildcats.

With the victory, the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats (14-8, 9-2 District 3-AAA) move into a three-way tie for first place in the district. They are currently tied with the same Lady Red Devils (9-7, 8-2) they beat last night, as well as Powell.

The Lady Wildcats next game will be at home this Friday at 6 p.m against rival Anderson County.

“It’s good for us because we wanna get some momentum,” Coach Scott added. “You wanna keep playing better and better in the district tournament, and you wanna play at home, and play the best you can at home. It should be fun.”

Boys’ Team

On December 5, 2014, the Halls Red Devils came into Oak Ridge and nearly pulled the upset over the then-undefeated Wildcats. Oak Ridge would go on to win the game 58-56, but the game didn’t sit well with Wildcats players and fans alike.

The Wildcats (19-2, 11-0) got their revenge on Halls last night, demolishing the Red Devils on their home court 77-41. A run of epic proportions was all the Wildcats needed to seal away their district foe.

Halls (6-13, 3-8) jumped out to an early lead on the Wildcats. The Red Devils, notorious for their superior work from outside, knocked down four three-pointers in the first quarter alone. However, those four threes would be the only three-pointers for Halls in this game. This was a major drop from their nine threes against the Wildcats back in December. Late in the first quarter, the Red Devils had a 19-12 lead over the Wildcats.

Then, it happened. The Wildcats would go on a 27-0 run that stretched all the way into the second quarter. With 1:28 left in the second, Halls finally knocked down a layup, but the Wildcats’ damage had already been done. The score was 39-25 at the half, and the Wildcats had a commanding lead.

“We changed defenses and went into a 1-3-1 trap, and they had trouble against it,” head coach Aaron Green said. “For whatever reason, we bring out the best in them as far as making shots. That’s why we changed up defenses.”

A 22-7 run was the story of the third quarter-courtesy of Oak Ridge. The Wildcats had a 61-32 lead after three quarters of play. From the first quarter when the score was 19-12 all the way to the end of the game, the Wildcats went on a 65-22 run to win the game 77-41.

Javien Johnson played one of his best games of the season against Halls, as the junior put up 23 points, with 19 of those coming in the first half. Tee Higgins had 13 points and one emphatic dunk. Darel Middleton contributed off the bench with 10, and E.J. Bush hit all three of his free throw attempts in his nine-point performance.

The Wildcats clinched at least a share of the division crown throughout the rest of the regular season with the victory. With second-place Anderson County coming to town on Friday, Coach Green wants to have Oak Ridge rocking and rolling for the big matchup.

“We’ve only got three home games left, and Anderson County is a big rival for us, so let’s fill the place up,” Green said. “Let’s pack it out.”

The Oak Ridge-Anderson County contest will begin immediately following the Lady Wildcat game this Friday, which begins at 6 p.m.

Trenton Duffer is a sports writer at the University of Tennessee Daily Beacon and a freelance contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

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