The Oak Ridge boys’ and girls’ basketball teams both had blowout wins at Central on Friday.
The girls (4-1, 2-0 District 3-AAA) won 54-16. It was the fifth-lowest score an opponent has had in a Lady Wildcats game, according to broadcaster David Clary of Prepradio.com.
The boys (5-0, 2-0) beat Central 68-36. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats beat the Clinton Lady Dragons 61-19 on Tuesday, and the Wildcats won 87-57.
It was the 59th consecutive time the Oak Ridge girls have defeated the Clinton girls since 1990. The Lady Wildcats (3-1, 1-0 District 3-AAA) were led at Don Lockard Gymnasium by junior Mykia Dowdell with 18 points and sophomore Jada Guinn with 14. Only three Lady Dragons (0-4, 0-1) scored, led by Nikki Jones with eight points, Kinley Martin with six, and Danyel Joy with five. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge boys’ and girls’ basketball teams both won their second games of the regular season on Friday.
The boys (2-0) beat Bearden (2-1) 66-63 at the Stone Memorial Thanksgiving Showcase at Stone Memorial in Crossville.
The Wildcats play McCallie at the showcase at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in Crossville. [Read more…]
Pictured above from left are Oak Ridge senior basketball players Tee Higgins, Tajion Jones, Anthony Gibson, Tyshawn Young, and E.J. Bush. (Photo by Oak Ridge High School boys basketball)
Oak Ridge senior Tee Higgins will play basketball this year, his senior year.
Higgins, a Class AAA Mr. Basketball finalist last season, confirmed his decision on Friday.
“The band is officially back together for one last tour,” the Oak Ridge Wildcats basketball team posted on Twitter, sharing a picture of Higgins with seniors Tajion Jones, Anthony Gibson, Tyshawn Young, and E.J. Bush.
Higgins had earlier planned to not play basketball in order focus on football. He’s a wide receiver who has committed to Clemson. He’s a Mr. Football finalist again this year.
The 6-foot-5, 190-pound senior has been one of the most dynamic players for the Wildcats on the basketball court and, for fans, one of the funnest players to watch. Higgins played as a freshman on the 2014 runner-up team in the state championship game, and since then, he’s been a key part of the team and a regular starter and a top scorer. He had picked up basketball scholarship offers from Tennessee, Louisville, Auburn, and others. Earlier this year, he said he was no longer considering playing basketball in college, although he had considered playing both sports. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge basketball teams open the 2016-2017 regular season at Christian Academy of Knoxville, or CAK, today.
The Lady Wildcats’ game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. today, Thursday, November 17. The Wildcats’ game begins at 7:30 p.m.
CAK, a Class AA school, is at 529 Academy Way in Knoxville. (Oak Ridge is Class AAA.)
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Clinch Valley has 2016-2017 basketball sign-ups from October 3 to November 14.
The sign-ups are for boys and girls ages 5-14. Children must be five prior to January 1, 2017.
Team Drafts are the week of November 17.
The activity fee is $30. [Read more…]
Oak Ridge senior Tee Higgins won’t play basketball for the Wildcats this season in order to focus on football. Higgins (5), who was then a junior, scored 25 points for the Wildcats in a double-overtime 87-85 quarterfinal loss to David Crockett in the Arby’s Classic basketball tournament in Bristol on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015. (Photo by Allen Greene/TriCitiesSports.com)
Oak Ridge senior Tee Higgins, a standout in football and basketball, confirmed on Sunday that he won’t play basketball for the Wildcats this season in order to focus on football.
Higgins is a wide receiver who has committed to Clemson. He had posted on Twitter on Friday that it was his decision to not play basketball this year.
For the record everyone, it was my decision not to play basketball this year.👌🏾
— Tee Higgins (@teehiggins5) October 28, 2016
Higgins, who was listed as 6’5″ and 190 pounds earlier this football season, has been one of the most dynamic players for the Wildcats on the basketball court. He has had the ability to fire up crowds with powerful dunks. (One dunk at Gibbs in December got the attention of ESPN.) Higgins played as a freshman on the 2014 runner-up team in the state championship game, and since then, he’s been a key part of the team and a regular starter, with some memorable clutch free throws and three-point shots in big basketball games.
Higgins was regularly one of the top scorers for the Wildcats, and he was one of three Class AAA Mr. Basketball finalists earlier this year. (You can see the list of finalists and winners here.) He had picked up basketball scholarship offers from Tennessee, Louisville, Auburn, and others, according to PrepXtra at the Knoxville News Sentinel. [Read more…]
The registration deadline is Saturday, September 17, for the Oak Ridge Wildcats Basketball Fall League, which is available to boys and girls in first through sixth grade.
The league evaluation days are at Oak Ridge High School from 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, September 14, and 8:30-10 a.m. Saturday, September 17.
The cost is $70 per pre-registered player. Practice starts the week of October 17. Games will be on Saturdays and will be played in the Oak Ridge High School Arena and in the B gym. [Read more…]
Roane State Community College women’s basketball coach Monica Boles will host her annual girls basketball camp July 18-22 at the college’s main campus in Harriman.
Girls from age 7 through rising high school seniors are invited to participate in the camp. The camp schedule is 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-noon on Friday.
“The main focus of our camp is to provide girls with the opportunity to improve their fundamental skills and knowledge of the game through drill work and competitive play in a positive basketball environment,†Boles said. “The camp is a great place for players of all ages to experience success and build self-confidence†[Read more…]
Jennifer Azzi, left, is pictured above in this photo from a gold medal celebration in 1996. (Photo courtesy David Clary via Alex Myers)
Growing up in Oak Ridge, I learned quickly that the folks here love their high school athletics. All it takes is one trip to historic Blankenship Field on a fall Friday night to get a sense of how this town feels about sports.
However, recently it’s occurred to me that there has been a terrible injustice to one of our own. One of Oak Ridge’s most decorated athletes has gone relatively unrecognized to my generation.
Jennifer Azzi is the athlete I’m talking about. From right here in Oak Ridge, Azzi graduated and went on to play Division One basketball at Stanford. While at Stanford, she compiled a list of accomplishments that would impress any sports junkie. Helping Stanford to win their program’s first women’s basketball national championship, Azzi was also named Final Four MVP. While this alone should be enough for her to be celebrated around town, Azzi didn’t stop there. She was named the 1990 Naismith National Player of the Year, and for those who are unaware, that’s essentially college basketball’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy. Azzi was also named Pac 10 player of the year for the 1989-90 season. She was a two time Kodak All-American for her play during the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons.
Azzi went on to be an eventual first-round draft pick in the WNBA draft.
And if that didn’t make your jaw drop, here’s the icing on the cake. In 1996, Azzi helped make not only East Tennessee proud, but her country proud as well when she and her teammates on the USA Women’s National Basketball Team won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta. Let’s face it, she wasn’t good; Jennifer Azzi was simply amazing. [Read more…]
David Clary
By David Clary
Saturday night, the miraculous journey of the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats continues with a one-game opportunity to join a historic group of great girls basketball teams who have worn the Cardinal and Gray.
For 30 years, the Lady Wildcats dominated East Tennessee basketball and were a major state force as well, making 21 state tournament appearances and playing in nine state championship games along the way. Oak Ridge played a national schedule, being invited to the most elite women’s tournaments in America. They finished several seasons ranked in the USA Today’s Top 25 poll and earned a number two preseason ranking, garnishing them an invitation to Florida to take on the number one-ranked team in that same poll. Twice during this time they tasted victory over a number one nationally ranked team and once a defending national champion. But since 2010, things had changed.
Since their last substate win and state appearance, the Lady Wildcats have fallen on hard times, for them anyway. Anything less than at least a sectional for such a storied program like Oak Ridge meant an unsuccessful season. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
The Clinton Dragons outlasted the Campbell County Cougars 61-56 in three overtimes Wednesday night to survive and advance in the District 3-AAA basketball tournament at Anderson County High School.
Dragon sophomore Daraon Jones scored a career-high 32 points, including seven in the third extra session, as Clinton secured a spot in the second round and set up a showdown with Karns at 7 p.m. Friday. A win will send the Dragons into a Saturday semifinal against Central at 6 p.m., and it will also secure them a spot in next week’s Region 2 tournament.
Elijah Phillips scored all 14 of his points in the second half to lead the Cougars, who led by as many as nine points in the second half before the Dragons closed the gap and ultimately sent the game into overtime. [Read more…]
