The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won their fourth straight district basketball championship with a 47-40 win over Campbell County at Karns on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
KARNS—The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won their fourth straight district basketball championship with a 47-40 win over Campbell County at Karns on Tuesday.
The girls rallied from a nine-point 24-15 deficit in the second quarter to take a lead that they didn’t give up at the end of the third quarter. The Lady Wildcats outscored the Lady Cougars 10-5 in the final quarter to expand their margin.
Oak Ridge senior Jada Guinn was named most valuable player of the District 3-AAA tournament, which was played at Karns High School. Guinn has been named district tournament MVP three of the past four years: 2016, 2018, and 2019.
“It feels good,” Guinn said after the Tuesday night win. She said the competitive Campbell County game helped prepare Oak Ridge for the next level, which includes the Region 2-AAA tournament that starts today (Friday, February 22).
The Lady Wildcats (29-2) have defeated the Lady Cougars (27-4) in three of the past four district championship games: 52-34 in 2016, Oak Ridge’s first district championship since 2010; 60-38 in 2018; and 47-40 this year. Oak Ridge and Campbell County shared the regular-season district title for the past two years.
The Lady Wildcats and Lady Cougars split a pair of games during the regular season this year: a 49-48 win by Campbell County on November 30 and a 74-44 win by Oak Ridge on February 1.
Oak Ridge, now the top seed from District 3, will play William Blount, the number four seed from District 4, in a Region 2-AAA quarterfinal game at Wildcat Arena today. The elimination game will start at 7 p.m.
Guinn became Oak Ridge’s second three-time District 3 tournament MVP, according to Wildcats broadcaster David Clary of Prepradio.com. Brittany Frazier won the award in 2001-2003, Clary said.
During the first half of the Tuesday night game, Guinn made her 398th career free throw, which meant she passed Keke Stewart for number one on Oak Ridge’s all-time free throw list, Clary said. Guinn was already number one in single-game points (45) and most 30-point games in her career, Clary said. She also recently passed 2,000 career points.
Guinn led the Lady Wildcats with a game-high 16 points against Campbell County. She was 8-of-9 from the free throw line.
Oak Ridge junior Bri Dunbar added 11 points for the Lady Wildcats, including with two key three-point shots, including one to tie the game early in the third quarter.
Oak Ridge Coach Paige Redman said the Lady Wildcats started slow and had to change their pace. Defense, stops, and steals allowed Oak Ridge to push the basketball in transition in the second half. The Lady Wildcats also shot 15-of-18 as a team from the free throw line during the game, compared to 10-of-15 for the Lady Cougars.
Junior Madison Brady led Campbell County with 12 points, and senior Haley Comer added 11. The Lady Cougars did not make any three-point shots, and Oak Ridge held Campbell County senior Skylar Boshears to seven points.
Oak Ridge advanced to Tuesday’s championship game with a 49-36 win over Powell in a District 3-AAA semifinal game on Saturday. Guinn led with 17 points during that game. The Lady Wildcats beat the Lady Panthers (22-8) twice during the regular season this year.
Oak Ridge and Powell played for the district championship two years ago, and the Lady Wildcats won that game 59-34.
Campbell County, the number two seed from District 3, will play Farragut, the number three seed from District 4, at home in another Region 2-AAA quarterfinal game this evening.
Powell will travel to Bearden, and Anderson County will play at Maryville in the other two games.
Oak Ridge played William Blount in regional semifinals two and three years ago, and the Lady Wildcats won both games.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
Oak Ridge senior Jada Guinn (24) was named most valuable player of the District 3-AAA basketball tournament after a 47-40 championship win over Campbell County at Karns on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. It was Guinn’s third district tournament MVP award in four years. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won their fourth straight district basketball championship with a 47-40 win over Campbell County at Karns on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
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