Oak Ridge Today

Wildcats, Lady Wildcats edge Halls, set sights on first place

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Logo

The Lady Wildcats and Wildcats of Oak Ridge traveled to Halls on Tuesday to take on the Lady Red Devils and Red Devils. The crowd at Halls is always loud and troublesome for visiting teams, but both sets of Wildcats came out unscathed against their opponents. The victories helped solidify each team’s place at the top of the district leaderboard.

Girls’ Team

A strong first half defensively for the Lady Wildcats proved to be the difference-maker in the end. Oak Ridge would squeak by the Lady Red Devils of Halls by a score of 50-42.

The Lady Wildcats opened the game up with a 13-4 run before going on to finish the first quarter ahead 18-6. The second quarter was a low-scoring quarter for both teams, as the Lady Wildcats only put up 10 points compared to eight by Halls. The score was 28-14 at the half. [Read more…]

Wildcats, Lady Wildcats extinguish Dragons

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Tee Higgins Dunk

Sophomore Tee Higgins (5) of Oak Ridge had two dunks in the first quarter and led the Wildcats with 14 points against the Clinton Dragons at Wildcat Arena on Tuesday. (Photos by Melissa Livesey)

 

Eleven miles is all that separates the bitter rivalry between the Oak Ridge Wildcats and the Clinton Dragons. However, since 1990 the rivalry has been nothing but Oak Ridge. For 57 straight games, Oak Ridge has bested Clinton on the basketball court, and Tuesday night was no different for the Wildcats and Lady Wildcats. Both teams went on to soundly defeat their opponents.

Girls’ game

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats were the first matchup of the night. Clinton’s players and coaches were pumped up before and during the entire game, and it was obvious that they had upset on the mind. However, thanks to a strong fourth quarter, the Lady Wildcats were able to defeat the Lady Dragons by a solid score of 65-54.

Clinton actually jumped out to an early lead on Oak Ridge. With a little less than 5:20 left in the first quarter, the Lady Dragons had an 8-1 lead. However, the Lady Wildcats fought back to a 10-8 lead thanks to a three-pointer by Jasmine Hembry with 3:51 left in the first quarter. Hembry would finish with 14 points, which was second on the team. After fighting back and forth, Oak Ridge would score a basket with :20 seconds left, and the score after one quarter was 15-13. [Read more…]

Letter: Encourage residents, businesses to help support basketball broadcasts

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Letter to supporters of the Oak Ridge community and Oak Ridge High School basketball:

We are writing this letter to encourage any Oak Ridge basketball supporters and supporters of the community in general to consider a contribution to help get the games on the radio.

The Oak Ridge boys’ team—state runner-up in March and coached by Aaron Green—is off to a school record 14-0 start and is an exciting and fun TEAM to watch play. [Read more…]

Wildcats get first 14-0 start in OT win over Indians

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Geevantay Gee of Oak Ridge Willdcats and Dobyns-Bennett Indians

Oak Ridge Wildcats junior point guard Geevantay Gee (12) is surrounded by four defenders as he drives to the basket during a 68-67 overtime win over the Dobyns-Bennett Indians in Kingsport on Saturday. Gee scored 20 points before fouling out early in overtime. (Photo by Allen Greene Photography)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 21.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats boys’ basketball team started the season 14-0 for the first time after a one-point overtime win over the Dobyns-Bennett Indians in Kingsport on Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore guard E.J. Bush had a game-winning layup with about three seconds left in the four-minute overtime period, giving the Wildcats a 68-67 win. Bush, who ended the night with 13 points, scored all seven of the Wildcats’ points in overtime, after starters Geevantay Gee and Tee Higgins and junior center Darel Middleton had fouled out.

Oak Ridge was led by Gee, a junior point guard who scored 20 points, and Higgins, a sophomore shooting guard and small forward who had 14. [Read more…]

Football players add depth as Wildcats basketball improves to 8-0

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Darel Middleton

Darel Middleton

On Monday, Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said the football players who have started playing basketball showed a “little bit of rust” in a 75-36 drubbing of Clinton. By Tuesday, it appeared that those players had shaken off some of that rust in a more competitive 77-65 win over Powell.

The biggest improvement, at least in terms of scoring, came from 6-foot-6 junior center Darel Middleton, who was playing against his former team on Tuesday. On Monday at Clinton, Middleton had six points total, or less than one basket per quarter. On Tuesday at home against the Panthers, he had 18 points, a team high.

Middleton, who missed the opening games this season because of the football playoffs, also picked up six rebounds on Tuesday. Green said Middleton, who plays defensive end and wide receiver in football, is very athletic, can score inside, and is a great passer.

“His presence in there is a factor,” Green said. [Read more…]

After rough first quarter, Wildcats warm up in 70-54 season-opener

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Geevantay Gee and Grace Christian

Junior guard Geevantay Gee (12), the only returning starter to play in the season-opener, scored the only points for the Wildcats during the first quarter against Grace Christian on Tuesday, but the rest of the team played better in the next three quarters and Oak Ridge won 70-54.

 

KARNS—They had a rough start in the season-opener on Tuesday, but the relatively young Oak Ridge Wildcats improved after the first quarter and turned a 12-point deficit into a 70-54 win.

Junior point guard Geevantay Gee, the only returning starter to play in the season-opener at Grace Christian in Karns, scored the only points for the Wildcats during the first quarter—seven total. Meanwhile, the Rams started hot and quickly racked up 19 points.

But after their nerves calmed, the Wildcats started defending better—stepping up their pressure and forcing turnovers—and their performance improved. For example, Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said, the Wildcats had two assists at the half, and Gee alone had five in the second.

After giving up 19 points in the first quarter, the Wildcats held the Rams to 35 total in the next three. Green said he thought Grace Christian became fatigued. [Read more…]

Photos: Lady Wildcats take ice bucket challenge

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Lady Wildcats Ice Bucket Challenge

 

The Lady Wildcats took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on Thursday. Here is a collection of photos from the ice bucket challenge submitted by coach David Scott.

The Lady Wildcats program then went on to challenge Coach Aaron Green and his staff and the Wildcats basketball team, Coach Allen Etheridge and his staff and the cross country team, and the Oak Ridge football team, Scott said.

ORHS Boys Basketball Boosters have fundraising golf tournament in Sept.

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The Oak Ridge High School Boys Basketball Boosters will have their 17th annual golf tournament in September.

This year’s event—a four-man scramble format—will be held September 13 at Centennial Golf Course in Oak Ridge. The tournament will begin at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start.

Sponsored by BSN Sports, the tournament costs just $75 per person, a press release said. [Read more…]

Spotlight: Hunt donates to ORHS boys’ basketball team for state tournament

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Brian Hunt and Aaron Green

Brian Hunt, left, a candidate for Anderson County Juvenile Court judge is pictured above with Oak Ridge Wildcats boys’ basketball coach Aaron Green. (Submitted photo)

Brian Hunt, a candidate for Anderson County Juvenile Court judge, recently made a donation to the Oak Ridge Wildcats boys’ basketball team.

The boys team traveled to Murfreesboro in March to play in the state championship game for the first time in 51 years.  The Wildcats lost 60-58 to the Blackman Blaze 60-58 in the championship game, but they were named 2014 State Runner-Up.

“I want to acknowledge and commend the team and their head coach for all their hard work this year and let them know their community is proud of their efforts,” Hunt said in a press release.

Spotlight: Farley donates to ORHS boys’ basketball team for state tournament

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Michael Farley and Oak Ridge Wildcats

Michael Farley, center, donated $500 to the Oak Ridge Wildcats boys basketball team to help them travel to the state tournament in March. (Submitted photos)

Michael Farley, a candidate for Anderson County chancellor, made a $500 donation to the Oak Ridge High School boys’ basketball team in March to help them travel to the state tournament.

“The donation was extremely helpful in covering our cost, and myself and the team are very appreciative,” Coach Aaron Green said in a press release.

In the press release, Farley said he has always been a big donor to athletics in Anderson County, supporting individual athletes and teams at the optimist, middle, and high school levels for more than 20 years. [Read more…]

Wildcats’ lead slips away in fourth quarter of state championship

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Oak Ridge Wildcats 2014 State Runner Up

The Oak Ridge Wildcats were named Class AAA State Runner-Up after a 60-58 loss to the Blackman Blaze in Murfreesboro on Saturday.

MURFREESBORO—The Oak Ridge Wildcats gave up an 11-point lead in a series of turnovers in the fourth quarter before losing to the Blackman Blaze 60-58 in a state championship game in Murfreesboro on Saturday.

Wildcats senior Jaylin Henderson had a game-high 24 points in the Class AAA final, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the combined scoring of four Blaze players who scored 10 or more each. The Wildcats were named 2014 State Runner-Up.

Oak Ridge (32-8) looked like it was headed to victory in the third quarter and early in the fourth, but the Blaze (28-6) stepped up the pressure and the Wildcats weren’t able to protect the ball.

Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said a series of five fourth-quarter turnovers, including back-to-back steals, shifted the momentum. Many of the Wildcats’ turnovers led to easy layups, and the Blaze went on a 14-0 scoring run at the Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge advances to state semifinals with 66-45 win over Jefferson County

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and Jefferson County Quarterfinals

From left are seniors Isaac Merian and Jaylin Henderson and freshman Tee Higgins, and Wildcats basketball coach Aaron Green.

Note: This story was last updated at 11:02 p.m.

MURFREESBORO—Oak Ridge advanced to the state semifinals for the first time since 1999 with a 66-45 win over Jefferson County in Murfreesboro on Wednesday.

The Wildcats (31-7) will play Arlington (29-4) in Murfreesboro at 11:30 a.m. CDT Friday (12:30 p.m. EDT) in a Class AAA state boys’ basketball semifinal game.

The Wildcats said teamwork was key to the Wednesday afternoon quarterfinal win at Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University. They cited steals—Oak Ridge had nine total—double-teaming on defense against the tall Patriots team, and improvements in rebounding compared to their performance during a Nov. 27 win over Jefferson County (30-6).

“We played more as a team,” said senior guard Jaylin Henderson, who scored 11 points and had four steals. “I think we were hot.” [Read more…]