Oak Ridge Today

Lady Wildcats upset Bearden in Region 2 championship; Guinn named MVP

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Oak Ridge freshman Jada Guinn (24) led the Lady Wildcats with a game-high 17 points during a 49-35 upset over Bearden in the Region 2-AAA championship at Bearden on Wednesday, March 2, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 3:15 p.m. March 3.

KNOXVILLE—The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats upset Bearden and won their first Region 2-AAA championship since 2010 on Wednesday, and freshman Jada Guinn was named most valuable player in the regional tournament—one week after being named most valuable player in the district tournament.

The 49-35 win for Oak Ridge, the Region 2 champion, means the Lady Wildcats (27-4) will have home-court advantage when they play Dobyns-Bennett in a Class AAA sectional at Wildcat Arena at 7 p.m. Saturday. Dobyns-Bennett (25-10) is the Region 1 runner-up.

Bearden (27-6), the Region 2 runner-up, will also play in a Class AAA sectional, but the Lady Bulldogs will have to travel to Morristown West (30-3), the Region 1 champion.

Sectional winners advance to the state tournament. [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats keep composure, Ellison scores 21 in Region 2 semifinal win

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Oak Ridge junior Courtney Ellison (10) scored a career-high 21 points for the Lady Wildcats during a 64-53 Region 2-AAA semifinal win over William Blount at Bearden on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 2:25 a.m.

KNOXVILLE—The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats battled back from an eight-point deficit in the second quarter of a Region 2 semifinal win against William Blount on Monday and kept their composure against a swarming defense to advance to the regional championship against Bearden on Wednesday.

The Lady Wildcats (26-4) permanently seized the lead about halfway through the second quarter behind the 10 first-half points of junior Courtney Ellison. They widened the lead to as many as 16 points in the second half before finishing ahead 64-53 in the Region 2-AAA elimination semifinal at Bearden High School.

Ellison led Oak Ridge with 21 points, a career high. Late in the third quarter, she made a three-point shot and a field goal within about 45 seconds to help open up a 44-31 lead. She added two more field goals from the left and right baseline late in the fourth quarter to maintain an Oak Ridge margin of about 10 points.

“I was really into it tonight,” Ellison said. “I was really wanting the win, and it was there.”

It’s the first time the Lady Wildcats have made it to the regional championship since 2010, the last year Jill Prudden coached Oak Ridge. [Read more…]