The BlueCross Basketball Championships, the state tournament games that were scheduled to include the Oak Ridge boys team, have been suspended because of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus.
It’s not clear yet if the games will be rescheduled.
The state basketball tournaments were suspended after quarterfinal games in the girls tournament on Thursday.
The Oak Ridge Wildcats had been scheduled to play in a quarterfinal game of the Class AAA boys tournament on Wednesday of next week.
“Whether we will be able to reschedule these events will depend on the length of the suspension and the availability of facilities,” the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association said.
The TSSAA had intended to continue with the tournaments with limited attendance. The tournaments are at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.
“However, today (Thursday, March 12) has seen the suspension or cancellation of championship events by the NCAA and multiple collegiate conferences, including the SEC tournament that was being played nearby; the suspension of regular season play in the NBA and NHL; the closure of university campuses and of several Tennessee public school systems; and the suspension or cancellation of high school championships in multiple other states,” the TSSAA said.
“COVID-19 is a public health threat, a threat to our student-athletes and our school communities,” the organization said. “With the actions being taken all around us, including the action of our host university MTSU in sending all students away from campus, we believe it would be irresponsible and contrary to the public interest for us to continue our tournaments at this time and risk contributing to the spread of the virus.”
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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