Oak Ridge Today

Lady Wildcats sweep CAK, West at home

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By Coach David Scott

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats swept a pair of games against CAK and West on Saturday at the Oak Ridge High School Arena.

The Lady Wildcats defeated CAK 84-71 in their first basketball game of the day. The Lady Wildcats were led in scoring by freshman post Mykia Dowdell with 17 points, and freshmen Destiny Kassner, who is returning from a lengthy bout of illness, with 14 points, including three three-pointers. Junior captain Caelyn Thompson had 12 points, and finishing out the balanced scoring were Amara Howard and Jasmine Hembry with eight each and Courtney Ellison, a sophomore point guard, who had seven.

The Lady Wildcats had a five-point lead after one quarter, and the game was tied at 40 at the half. The Lady Wildcats exploded for 24 third-quarter points and pushed out to an 11-point lead. Ellison had seven points to help the Lady Wildcats take their first win of the year. [Read more…]

Wildcats win regular season district championship 87-69 over Karns

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Jaylin Henderson Dunk

Senior guard Jaylin Henderson dunks in the fourth quarter on Friday, giving the Oak Ridge Wildcats a 60-45 lead over the Karns Beavers. (Photo courtesy Bruce Phillips)

Note: This story was last updated at 11:55 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats won the regular season district championship in a 87-69 win over the Karns Beavers on Friday.

It was the second time this season the Beavers were able to chip away at a large Oak Ridge lead, again narrowing the deficit to one point, but the Wildcats used zone play and defensive stops to help maintain and then stretch out their lead.

The game featured 17 three-point baskets between the two teams—Karns had 11 of them—and three crowd-pleasing dunks by Wildcats, with one by senior guard Jaylin Henderson and two by senior forward Isaac Merian. Oak Ridge (25-5, 15-1 in District 3) led the entire game.

Both teams started the game 14-1 in the district. [Read more…]

Wildcats take 66-37 win over Gibbs; Lady Wildcats fall 49-39

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Oak Ridge Wildcats and Gibbs Eagles Basketball

The Oak Ridge Wildcats beat the Gibbs Eagles 66-37 at Wildcat Arena on Friday night.

They played without 6-foot-6 senior Isaac Merian on Friday, but the Oak Ridge Wildcats built a 30-13 scoring cushion in the first half and kept it in the second, taking a 66-37 win over the Gibbs Eagles at home.

The Wildcats (16-5, 6-1 in District 3) took advantage of a series of deflections and steals, especially in the first half, used an effective press, and stayed aggressive throughout the game, Oak Ridge coach Aaron Green said. Keeping the Eagles (0-12, 0-7) to 13 points in the first half was also important, Green said.

Merian injured his shoulder during a Tuesday night third-place game in the 2013 Arby’s Classic in Bristol, when the Wildcats lost 67-40 to the Christ Presbyterian Academy Lions. Merian is a scorer, protector, rebounder, and leader, and the team should know more about his shoulder injury after an MRI on Monday, Green said. [Read more…]