The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the District 3-AAA basketball tournament championship for the third year in a row with a 60-38 victory over Campbell County at Halls on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The first round of the Region 2-AAA basketball tournament starts at home tonight (Friday, February 23).
The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats (23-5), the District 3-AAA champion, will host Hardin Valley (22-7), the fourth-place team in District 4, at Wildcat Arena at 7 p.m. Friday. The doors open at 6.
The Oak Ridge Wildcats (20-7), the District 3-AAA runner-up, will host Knoxville Catholic (21-7), at Wildcat Arena at 7 p.m. Saturday. Doors for that game also open at 6.
“Due to TSSAA rules and guidelines, we are not allowed to honor season tickets or student athletic passes,” Oak Ridge High School said in its tournament information. “All tickets are $6.”
The Oak Ridge girls, who had defeated Campbell County once during the regular season and lost once, won the district championship by beating the Lady Cougars 60-38 at Halls on Saturday. The Lady Wildcats and Lady Cougars were the top two seeds in the district tournament and, with 15-1 district records, regular season co-champions.
Oak Ridge beat Hardin Valley 71-42 in the Region 2-AAA championship last year. It was the second straight regional championship for the Lady Wildcats.
The Lady Hawks are coached by former Lady Wildcat Jennifer Wilson Galloway. Hardin Valley lost to William Blount, 44-41, in overtime during a District 4-AAA consolation game at Lenoir City on Monday.
The Oak Ridge boys lost to Powell 60-58 after missing 15 free throws in the District 3-AAA championship on Halls on Saturday. The Wildcats had beaten the Panthers
twice during the regular season and, with an undefeated 15-0 district record, were the top seed in the district tournament.
Catholic moved back up to Division I, Class AAA, after being a Class AA team since the 2013-2014 season, according to records on CoachT.com, and the Fighting Irish were the Class AA state runner-up in 2017, losing 60-57 to Maplewood on March 18.
Catholic beat William Blount 77-64 in the District 4 consolation game at Lenoir City on Tuesday.
The Fighting Irish can shoot well from outside the three-point line, said broadcaster David Clary of PrepRadio.com, and the Wildcats will need to guard them well.
Oak Ridge and Catholic last met on November 13, 2012, and the Wildcats won that game 58-53.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
The 2018 Region 2-AAA girls’ basketball tournament bracket.
The 2018 Region 2-AAA boys’ basketball tournament bracket.
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