Oak Ridge Today

Lady Wildcats advance to district semifinals; Clinton falls to Halls

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Courtney Ellison and Destiny Kassner of the Lady Wildcats

Sophomore point guard Courtney Ellison (10) dribbles up court ahead of freshman Destiny Kassner as the Lady Wildcats wallop Gibbs 64-36 in a quarterfinal district tournament game in Knoxville on Thursday. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

KNOXVILLE—The Lady Wildcats advanced to the district semifinals and guaranteed themselves at least three more playoff games in a 64-36 rout of Gibbs in a quarterfinal game on Thursday. They’ve also qualified for the Region 2 tournament.

Oak Ridge, the number three seed, will take on Powell, the number two seed, at 3 p.m. Saturday at Central High School in Knoxville.

Meanwhile, the Clinton Dragons boys’ team fell to Halls 46-32 in another quarterfinal game on Thursday. Halls, the number three seed in the District 3-AAA tournament, will take on Karns, the number two seed, at 6 p.m. Saturday.

That game will be followed by a matchup between Oak Ridge, the number one seed, and the winner of today’s elimination game between Anderson County and Central.

The game between the Mavericks and Bobcats starts at 7:30 p.m. today (Friday, February 13) at Central. [Read more…]

Clinton boys advance, girls lose; Oak Ridge girls play tonight

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Logo

WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Today

The Clinton boys’ basketball team advanced to the second round of the District 3-AAA tournament in a 67-58 first-round win over the Gibbs Eagles at Central High School in Knoxville on Wednesday.

J’Quan Thomas led three double-digit scorers for the seventh-seeded Dragons, who will take on third-seeded Halls at 7:30 tonight (Thursday, February 12). The winner of tonight’s tilt will move on to the district semifinals Saturday at 6 p.m. against Karns and earn a berth in next week’s region tournament, while the loser’s season will be finished, WYSH Radio reported.

In the first game on Wednesday night, Gibbs’ girls closed out the Karns Lady Beavers, blowing open a close game in the third quarter on their way to a 50-37 win and a second-round matchup with the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats that will tip off at 6 p.m. Thursday at Central.

Meanwhile, the Clinton girls’ basketball season ended in a Tuesday loss to Campbell County at Central. [Read more…]

Father-daughter hike at UT Arboretum on Valentine’s Day

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Father Daughter Hike at UT Arboretum

Jeff Holt, pictured above in the green jacket and baseball cap, will lead a Saturday morning hike for fathers and daughters at the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge. (File photo)

 

Submitted

Dads: Make a date with your daughter for a Valentine’s Day Hike at the University of Tennessee Arboretum.

Are you looking for an opportunity to spend some father-daughter quality time outdoors? Come out to the UT Arboretum for a fun, short trail hike (one to 1.5 hours) on Valentine’s Day, Saturday February 14.

This is a great winter occasion to get some outdoor exercise with your young or older valentine. Wear clothes appropriate to the weather and boots or good shoes for outdoor walking. Just for fun, wear red! [Read more…]

Wildcats wipe out Fulton lead on three-pointer by Higgins

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Tee Higgins at Fulton

Tee Higgins (5) of Oak Ridge had 20 points, 13 rebounds, and the game-winning three-pointer against Fulton on Saturday. (Photo by Luther Simmons) 

 

KNOXVILLE—The Wildcats needed a big basket late in the game, and Tee Higgins hit one. With his team down by two, the sophomore stayed cool under pressure and hit a three-point shot with 3.1 seconds left to give Oak Ridge a one-point victory over Fulton in front of a raucous sold-out crowd at Jody Wright Arena in Knoxville on Saturday.

The dramatic all-out battle was the last regular-season game for the two top-five teams.

The Falcons dominated early, applying pressure that hurt Oak Ridge, and they led by as much as nine points through much of the fast and furious first half. The Wildcats were “out of whack” offensively, Coach Aaron Green said.

But Oak Ridge got back into the game behind sophomore Anthony Gibson, who came off the bench to score 10 points in the first half and 13 on the night. [Read more…]

Undefeated in district, Wildcats end regular season at Fulton on Saturday

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Geevantay Gee of Oak Ridge Wildcats at Karns

Geevantay Gee of Oak Ridge (12) had eight points and 10 assists against the Karns Beavers in the last regular-season district game on Friday. (Photo by Terri Blair)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1:55 a.m. Feb. 7.

Oak Ridge ends regular season at Fulton on Saturday

KARNS—The first game was a blowout. The second wasn’t.

In early January, the Oak Ridge Wildcats rolled over Karns 83-49.

But on Friday night, the Beavers kept it closer, pulling within one point (32-31) late in the second quarter.

But the Wildcats gave themselves a five-point cushion going into halftime and stretched their lead to 16 late in the third. Karns struggled to cut into the Wildcats’ double-digit lead throughout the fourth. [Read more…]

First Oak Ridge Schools on the Run 5k scheduled for March

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Oak Ridge Schools Logo

The first Oak Ridge Schools on the Run 5K is scheduled for March 21, organizers said.

“Come join the schools, city, and community of Oak Ridge in their first annual 5k,” the Oak Ridge Track Club said in a notice posted on its website. “The race will be held at the beautiful Melton Lake Park!”

The standard registration is $25. It’s $20 for school and municipal employees, and $10 for students. [Read more…]

ORHS athletic director recognized for distinguished service by TSSAA

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Mike Mullins

Mike Mullins

Mike Mullins, the athletic director at Oak Ridge High School, has been honored by the TSSAA for his distinguished service as an administrator.

The TSSAA, or Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, administers junior and senior high school sports. A story in the Winter 2015 issue of TSSAA News said Mullins is finishing his ninth year as athletic director at ORHS and his 29th year in interscholastic athletics and education.

[Read more…]

National Signing Day local recruiting round-up, including Oak Ridge

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Isaac Chapman Signing Day

Senior Isaac Chapman, an offensive lineman pictured at center front, signed with the University of Tennessee-Martin on Wednesday. (Source: Isaac Chapman/Twitter)

 

Information from WYSH Radio/Oak Ridge Wildcat Football

Wednesday was national Signing Day for high school athletes, and the University of Tennessee brought in a recruiting class ranked among the top 5 by most football scouting services.

Among the student-athletes who signed with UT was Coalfield lineman Zach Stewart, a two-time Mr. Football Award winner. He was actually the first member of the class of 2015 to fax the school his signed letter of intent.

Anderson County standout running back Matt Fox signed to play at East Tennessee State University, while fellow Maverick Bronson Black is headed to the University of the Cumberlands. [Read more…]

Fans ask for dunks, Mitchell gives them two

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Ted Mitchell of the Oak Ridge Wildcats Dunks Against Gibbs

All year, fans had been asking senior guard Ted Mitchell (4) of the Oak Ridge Wildcats to dunk the ball, and Tuesday night, he obliged. Mitchell dunked twice in his last regular-season home game at Wildcat Arena. (Photo by Melissa Livesey)

 

All year, fans have been asking Ted Mitchell to dunk it. On Tuesday, the senior gave the fans what they wanted—and more. He dunked the ball twice in his last regular-season home game at Wildcat Arena.

It was a dramatic finish in a high school career that included trips last year to the state championship game in basketball and the state quarterfinal game in football. The Wildcats’ basketball team finished first in District 3-AAA this year and will advance to the playoffs.

Mitchell, who has plans to play football in college, was the only senior to play for the Wildcats on either the boys’ or girls’ team at home on Senior Night against the Gibbs Eagles on Tuesday.

Here’s more on those games from freelance contributor Trenton Duffer:

Oak Ridge celebrates Senior Night with two victories over Gibbs

Tuesday night, the Oak Ridge Wildcats and Lady Wildcats celebrated Senior Night in the home finale at Wildcat Arena. However, only one senior would be playing his last game in the arena: Ted Mitchell. In some ways, it seemed like “Ted Mitchell Night,” as both sets of Wildcats rolled to easy victories over the Gibbs Eagles and Lady Eagles. Neither set of Eagles had the lead the entire night.

Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats Mykia Dowdell against Gibbs Eagles

Freshman Mykia Dowdell (34) had 15 points against the Gibbs Eagles on Tuesday at Wildcat Arena. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Lady Wildcats Stomp Lady Eagles

The Lady Wildcats (17-9, 12-3 District 3-AAA) were the first up to play, and they did not disappoint. The Lady Wildcats would go on to crush the Gibbs Lady Eagles (6-18, 5-10) by a score of 65-29. A one-two punch of offense and defense helped the Lady Wildcats walk away with this victory unscathed.

The first quarter was actually very close. Within the first 1:30, Oak Ridge jumped out to an 11-2 lead before the Lady Eagles came storming back, making it 18-14 after one quarter. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge knocks out Knox Central on Autism Awareness Night

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Hoops for Autism at Wildcat Arena

The student section holds up a poster for autism awareness during Hoops for Autism on Friday night during the Oak Ridge and Central basketball game at Wildcat Arena. (Photo by Trenton Duffer)

 

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats and Wildcats battled the Knox Central Lady Bobcats and Bobcats on Friday night in Wildcat Arena. Both sets of Wildcats left their home stage victorious against their district rivals on Autism Awareness Night.

Lady Wildcat head coach David Scott discussed Autism Awareness Night and its significance after the game.

“It’s part of our responsibility to get the word out,” Scott said. “We’ve been blessed in Oak Ridge. We have some great teachers and therapists…It’s (autism) a number that’s going up and not going down. The more word we can get out there that the autism spectrum is so large…There’s a lot to it, and no two are the same. Anytime we can get the word out, we appreciate that opportunity. To have people respond really means a lot to us.”

At the halftime of each game, fans were encouraged to come down to the court and pay $1 for a half-court shot contest. These proceeds are going to autism awareness foundations.

Lady Wildcats keep Lady Bobcats winless with physical play

The Lady Wildcats of Oak Ridge improved to 88-1 all-time against the Knox Central Lady Bobcats (0-22, 0-14 District 3-AAA) on Friday night by defeating Central 64-26. Oak Ridge could do no wrong in this game. [Read more…]

Wildcat Pride Club raising awareness of autism this week

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Oak Ridge Wildcats LogoThe Wildcat Pride Club of Oak Ridge High School hopes to raise awareness for autism this week as they promote “Hoops for Autism.”

This cause hits home with Lady Wildcats Coach David Scott because his son Daniel was diagnosed with autism at an early age, a press release said.

The club is holding fundraisers this week at the High School with all proceeds from the fundraisers going to the research of autism. Activities have been planned that will culminate on Friday night as the Wildcats host the Central Bobcats in basketball. [Read more…]

AYSO: Register for Spring 2015 soccer season this week, next

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AYSO Region 390 Registration Jan-Feb 2015-600x280

Registration for AYSO’s Spring 2015 soccer season starts today. There are three registration dates:

  • Thursday, January 29, from 5-7 p.m.,
  • Saturday, January 31, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., and
  • Thursday, February 5 from 5-7 p.m.

“It’s almost time to play soccer in the Spring 2015 season, and you’ve got be registered to play,” AYSO Region 390 said on its website. [Read more…]