Oak Ridge senior Jaymi Golden (32) is pictured above during a District 3-AAA semifinal game against Powell at Halls on Friday, Feb. 16, 2018. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was last updated at 2 p.m. Feb. 24.
The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats eliminated Hardin Valley 55-39 in the first round of the Region 2-AAA tournament at Wildcat Arena on Friday.
Oak Ridge (24-5) was led by senior Jaymi Golden with 16 points, including 12 in the first half, and junior Jada Guinn, who also scored 16. Senior Mykia Dowdell had 11. Senior Desiree Bates, who scored four points, also had at least three rebounds and three steals.
The Lady Hawks (22-8) were led by senior Abbey Cornelius with 15 points. Junior Kiara Inman added seven.
Oak Ridge will play Maryville, the District 4 runner-up, in a semifinal regional tournament game at Bearden at 6 p.m. Monday, February 26. The Lady Rebels (22-7) advanced by eliminating Clinton, the number three seed from District 3, 60-42 on Friday.
A win in Monday’s semifinal would guarantee the Lady Wildcats a trip to a sectional game, which determines who goes to the state tournament, and the Region 2-AAA championship game on Wednesday.
Bearden, the District 4 champion, beat Powell, the number four seed from District 3, 37-36, in another first-round game on Friday. And Campbell County, the District 3 runner-up, defeated William Blount, the number three seed in District 4, 49-47.
That means Bearden and Campbell County will play in the other Region 2-AAA semifinal game on Monday. That game starts at 7:30 p.m. at Bearden.
The season is over for Clinton, Hardin Valley, Powell, and William Blount.
Bearden and Hardin Valley both finished the regular season 13-3 in District 4. Oak Ridge and Campbell County were both 15-1 in District 3 during the regular season.
Hardin Valley took an early 3-0 lead at Oak Ridge on Friday. But a basket by Golden at 4:10 in the first quarter gave the Lady Wildcats a 4-3 lead, and they never trailed again, going into halftime with a 31-20 lead.
Guinn had at least eight rebounds on Friday, and Cornelius, who is 6-foot-2, had at least nine.
Oak Ridge shot 24-of-44 from two-point range, while Hardin Valley was 12-of-32, according to preliminary statistics by Mark Haste. The Lady Wildcats made no three-point shots on eight attempts, while the Lady Hawks hit two of 14.
Hardin Valley senior guard Lizzie Davis, who scored four points, got into early foul trouble for the Lady Hawks, picking up her third foul in the final minute of the first quarter and going to the bench in the second. Dowdell fouled out with five fouls for Oak Ridge late in the fourth quarter, but by then, the Lady Wildcats were up 51-36 with just 1:54 to go.
Oak Ridge beat Hardin Valley 71-42 in the Region 2-AAA championship last year.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
The 2018 Region 2-AAA girls’ basketball tournament bracket.
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