Oak Ridge Today

Weather: Schools, courts, offices closed; Wildcats sectional game now on Tuesday

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Note: This story was last updated at 1:20 p.m.

Schools in Anderson County, Clinton, and Knox and Morgan counties are closed today (Monday) because of weather conditions and possible icing. And the Wildcats boys’ basketball sectional game in Kingsport, featuring Oak Ridge and Dobyns-Bennett, has been postponed to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Roane State Community College is closing its Campbell, Cumberland, Morgan, Scott, and Fentress county campuses due to icy roads. The campuses in Oak Ridge and Loudon, Knox, and Roane counties are open, but classes at the Clinton facility have been canceled.

The afternoon docket for the Anderson County General Sessions Court in Clinton has been canceled starting at 1 p.m. The afternoon docket for Anderson County Juvenile Court has also been canceled. And the Anderson County Courthouse closed at 1 p.m.

Tennessee officials said state offices will be closed the remainder of the day statewide, but mission-critical state employees will report to work as usual. [Read more…]

Honors: Former Wildcat receives national football honors, academic recognition

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James Normand and TTU Academic All Star Team

Former Oak Ridge Wildcat James Normand received national honors when he was named to a football academic all-star team earlier this year, and he was also among the scholar-athletes who helped the football team at Tennessee Tech record its second-highest GPA last semester.

Normand is a graduate offensive lineman for the Golden Eagles in Cookeville. In January, he and junior running back Stephen Bush were selected to the 16th annual Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team.

The two Golden Eagle standouts were included on the 43-player team that was chosen by a panel from among 90 nominees, Rob Schabert, TTU Golden Eagles assistant athletic director for sports information, said in early January. The announcement was made at the site of the FCS Championship game. [Read more…]

Déja vu with twist: This time, in Region 2 final, Wildcats fall

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Geevantay Gee and Oak Ridge Wildcats

Sophomore guard Geevantay Gee had seven points during a Region 2 championship game against Powell on Thursday.

Note: This story was last updated at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 28.

For a few minutes, it looked like Oak Ridge might repeat its comeback overtime win against Powell.

Down by eight points in the third quarter on Thursday, the Wildcats tied the game 59-59 with less than one minute to play with a flurry of baskets by seniors Jaylin Henderson, Isaac Merian, and Kevin Steen.

But this time, with a Region 2-AAA championship on the line, Oak Ridge was unable to muster a miracle in overtime. Led by the six points of senior Dallas Fields, Powell pulled away from the Wildcats just enough to win. The final score was 72-70, and Powell was named Region 2 champions for the first time since 2006.

But the Wildcats (29-7) aren’t out of the playoffs. They travel to Kingsport on Monday to play Dobyns-Bennett (21-8) at 7 p.m. in a Class AAA sectional for a chance to go to the state tournament in Murfreesboro in March. [Read more…]

Wildcats advance to Region 2 finals with 61-58 win over Karns

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and Karns Beavers Region 2 Semifinals

Oak Ridge advanced to the Region 2 finals with a 61-58 win over Karns on Tuesday in front of one of the largest crowds ever at Wildcat Arena. The game’s theme was “America.”

Note: This story was last updated at 11:45 p.m.

The Oak Ridge boys’ basketball team advanced to the Region 2 finals with a 61-58 win over Karns on Tuesday in front of the one of the largest crowds ever at Wildcat Arena.

It was the third time this year that the Wildcats (29-6) have beat the Beavers, and the win guarantees them at least two more post-season games.

“It’s hard to beat any team three times, especially a good team,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said.

Oak Ridge will play Powell (22-9) at 7 p.m. Thursday at home in the Region 2 finals. The outcome will determine whether the Wildcats play at home or away in a Monday sectional game where teams will fight for a chance to go to the state tournament in Murfreesboro in March. [Read more…]

Thompson-Boling lights brighter, more efficient; use ORNL foam

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Thompson-Boling LED Lighting

The SuperSport installation at the University of Tennessee’s Thompson-Boling Arena. (Photo credit: LED North America)

KNOXVILLE—With the installation of LED fixtures, the Thompson-Boling Arena at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville is one of the first in the world to feature lights that are smaller, brighter, and up to 85 percent more efficient than conventional arena metal halide lights.

The technology—developed and manufactured by Oak Ridge-based LED North America at the Tech 20/20 incubator facility in Oak Ridge, incorporating an Oak Ridge National Laboratory technology, and installed by Knoxville-based Bandit Lites—is being “premiered” at the state’s research university inside the largest on-campus single-sport arena in the country.

The light-emitting diode fixtures use an ORNL-developed lightweight graphite foam that cools the LED, making them more efficient and reliable. This enables 90 400-watt LED fixtures to bathe the arena’s floor with 200 foot-candles per square foot, compared to the 130 foot-candles produced by the arena’s existing 110 1,100-watt fixtures.

LED North America’s SuperSport luminaires have the potential to revolutionize sports and entertainment venues worldwide. UT officials are looking forward to participating in this effort and to seeing the results—and the savings. [Read more…]

Wildcats play Karns in Region 2 semifinals tonight

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Jaylin Henderson Dunk

Senior Wildcat Jaylin Henderson dunks in the fourth quarter of a Feb. 7 game against Karns. (Photo courtesy Bruce Phillips)

The Oak Ridge Wildcats boys’ basketball team (28-6) plays the Karns Beavers (23-6) in the second of two Region 2 semifinal games in Oak Ridge tonight.

The Oak Ridge-Karns game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. It will follow the other Region 2 semifinal game, which features the Powell Panthers and Halls Red Devils. That game starts at 6 p.m.

All four teams playing tonight are District 3 teams that eliminated District 4 teams from the Region 2-AAA tournament on Saturday.

Before those first-round Region 2 games, Oak Ridge won the District 3 championship, defeating Halls 61-43 at Powell on  Wednesday, Feb. 19. Karns beat Powell 62-56 in the third-place game that same day. [Read more…]

Mixed bag for District 3 in Region 2 tourneys

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Information from WYSH Radio

Regional basketball tournaments began Friday for the girls of East Tennessee high school basketball, and Saturday for the boys.

On the girls’ side, the Region 2-AAA tournament ended quickly for all four District 3 teams as Heritage eliminated Anderson County, Bearden took out Halls, Farragut routed Campbell County, and Maryville blew out Powell.

Conversely, Saturday night’s Region 2-AAA boys’ first round saw District 3 go 4-0 on the night, with Oak Ridge beating Farragut, Karns handling Hardin Valley, Halls eliminating Bearden, and Powell taking out Maryville. [Read more…]

‘Fishing University’ coming to Norris Feb. 27

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Information from WYSH Radio

The host of the Outdoor Channel’s “Fishing University” television show will be on Norris Lake next week filming a show for their 2014 season.

You will have the opportunity to meet the hosts of the show, Charlie Ingram and Ray Brazier and their guests, Chief Executive Dean Smith and Brand Manager Kody Bradbury of Legend Boats, on Thursday, Feb. 27, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Museum of Appalachia. This is a free event for the entire family and will give you the opportunity to ask the pros everything you always wanted to know about bass fishing. [Read more…]

Three-point-shooting freshman helps lead Wildcats to tournament win

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DeAndre Gibson Oak Ridge Wildcats

Freshman DeAndre Gibson, right, hit four three-point shots against the Farragut Admirals in the third quarter of a first-round regional basketball tournament game on Saturday, giving the Wildcats the lead and shifting momentum.

A three-point-shooting freshman came off the bench Saturday and gave the Oak Ridge Wildcats the big momentum-shifting boost they needed against Farragut in the first round of the Region 2 basketball tournament.

Freshman DeAndre Gibson knocked down four three-point shots in the third quarter, first giving Oak Ridge a 34-33 lead and then—a few minutes later—widening it to 45-38, the largest lead of the first three quarters. Wildcats fans exploded with excitement after Gibson’s second series of back-to-back three-point shots.

“It was probably the difference in the ball game,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said after the 59-48 victory over the Admirals. [Read more…]

Blankenship bleacher project could cost $550,000; funding not clear

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The Oak Ridge Board of Education on Monday will consider whether to demolish the visitor bleachers at Blankenship Field.

Demolition work has started at the visitor bleachers at Blankenship Field, which are pictured above in January. Replacing them could cost $375,00 with another $175,000 requested for related projects.

It could cost a total of $550,000 to replace the visitor bleachers at Blankenship Field and complete related projects ranging from repairing the Wildcat Crossing stairs on the home side of the field to replacing the retaining wall and removing trees behind the visitor bleachers.

Demolition work on the deteriorated bleachers has already started. The Oak Ridge Board of Education approved that project in January.

It could cost about $375,000 to replace just the bleachers, said Allen Thacker, maintenance and operations supervisor for Oak Ridge Schools. And the seating capacity would be reduced from 3,400 seats to 2,000.

But it’s not clear yet who will pay for the replacements or supply the extra $175,000 for related projects, which also include replacing stairs and sidewalks at the visitor restrooms. [Read more…]

Wildcats repeat as district champs with 61-43 win over Halls

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Oak Ridge Wildcats 2014 District Champions

The Oak Ridge Wildcats celebrate a district championship after a 61-43 victory over the Hall Red Devils at Powell on Wednesday.

Note: This story was last updated at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 20.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats repeated as district champions with a 61-43 win over Halls on Wednesday.

And, for the second year in a row, Jaylin Henderson was named most valuable player in the District 3-AAA tournament.

Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said he was very proud of the boys’ basketball team, which includes six seniors.

“To be district champs is a huge accomplishment,” Green said. [Read more…]

Wildcats advance to district championship with 69-67 comeback in semifinals OT

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Jaylin Henderson and Oak Ridge Wildcats

Senior guard Jaylin Henderson, left, leads the Oak Ridge Wildcats to a 69-67 come-from-behind overtime win over the Powell Panthers in a semifinal tournament game on Monday.

Note: This story was updated at 8:50 a.m.

POWELL—The Oak Ridge Wildcats erased a 17-point Powell lead in a semifinal tournament game on Monday and advanced to the district championship with a buzzer-beating 69-67 come-from-behind overtime win.

The Wildcats, who struggled on defense and with rebounding for much of the game, trailed the Panthers throughout the first three quarters, often by more than 10 points.

But a fired-up Jaylin Henderson came alive in the fourth quarter for the Wildcats, stealing balls on one end and scoring baskets on the other. He tied the game at 63-63 with about 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Senior forward Isaac Merian, who had been relatively quiet for much of the night, scored the winning basket in overtime, picking up a loose ball and banking in an off-the-backboard shot as time expired, giving the Wildcats their 69-67 victory.

Oak Ridge fans exploded with excitement, and Panthers fans left in stunned silence. [Read more…]