Updated: Lady Wildcats, Campbell Co. to play for District 3-AAA championship Tuesday

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:30 a.m.

CLINTON—Oak Ridge and Campbell County will play for the District 3-AAA girls basketball championship on Tuesday.

Campbell County beat Powell 47-42 to advance to the championship in a semifinal game at Anderson County High School on Saturday, and Oak Ridge defeated Anderson County 54-28 in the other semifinal.

Oak Ridge, which was led by sophomore post Mykia Dowdell with 16 points on Saturday, won both matches with the Lady Cougars this year.

Tuesday’s final starts at 6 p.m. at Anderson County High School.

Junior guard Courtney Ellison scored 12 points for the Lady Wildcats (23-4) on Saturday. Freshman point guard Jada Guinn had 10, and senior forward Caelyn Thompson had 9.

Oak Ridge, the number one seed in the district tournament, was ahead by 22-15 at halftime. The Lady Wildcats outscored the Lady Mavericks by 32-13 in the second half to open up a wide lead.

Oak Ridge Coach Paige Green said the Lady Wildcats started out with “a bit of nerves,” but they worked through that.

“Our defense is what got the lead for us and put us in a position to win basketball games,” Green said.

The Lady Wildcats had balanced scoring and passed the ball inside as well as around the perimeter.

“They were very unselfish and patient,” Green said.

Dowdell said the Lady Wildcats “started doing what we do best” in the second half, attacking, getting the ball inside, and to open players.

When she scores inside, that opens up options outside, including kicking it out to Ellison for a shot from the perimeter, Dowdell said.

Oak Ridge likes to share the ball and wants to get at least a few points from multiple players in each game, she said.

 

Oak Ridge held freshman Brooklin McCoy of Anderson County, who scored 17 points against Halls on Thursday, to seven points on Saturday. Senior Klarissa Roberts also had seven points for the Lady Mavericks (13-18).

Against Campbell County, the number two seed, the Lady Wildcats will have to attack, execute, and get the ball inside, Dowdell said. And they’ll have to stop freshman point guard Skylar Boshears, who can score at will, she said. Boshears had 14 points, all in the first half, in the Lady Cougars’ win over Powell on Saturday.

The Lady Wildcats have defeated the Lady Cougars (24-5) twice this season, although they had to battle back from a five-point halftime deficit in the last game to take the win. Campbell County only lost two district games in the regular season, and both were to Oak Ridge.

The Lady Cougars were led by Sarah Cain with a game-high 16 points against Powell on Saturday.

Powell (14-14) was led by sophomore Haley Schubert with 11 points, and junior Kaitlyn Lentz with 10.

Powell and Anderson County will play in a consolation game at Anderson County High School at 6 p.m. Monday.

Oak Ridge and Campbell County will play in the championship game at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

All four teams will advance to the Region 2-AAA tournament that starts late next week.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats will also play in a championship game on Tuesday. The boys game, which is against Karns, starts at 7:30 p.m.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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