Oak Ridge Today

Volleyball: Lady Wildcats win District 4 championship

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the District 4-AAA volleyball championship in Wildcat Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the District 4-AAA volleyball championship in Wildcat Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge won the District 4-AAA volleyball championship on Tuesday, sweeping Bearden in three straight sets. It’s the second year in a row the girls have won a district championship and the fourth district championship for Oak Ridge in five years.

The District 4-AAA tournament was played in Wildcat Arena at Oak Ridge High School on Tuesday. The Lady Wildcats (24-9, 6-0 District 4-AAA) advanced to the championship game by beating Halls in three straight semifinal sets.

The scores of the Oak Ridge-Halls semifinal sets were 25-14, 25-17, and 25-18.

The scores of the Oak Ridge-Bearden championship sets were 25-12, 25-23, and 25-17.

Lady Wildcat senior Olivia Milloway was named most valuable player of the district tournament. Seniors Emily Lawless and Reagan Dickens were named to the All District Tournament Team. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge volleyball photos

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge High School won the Early Bird Tournament Silver Bracket the weekend of Aug. 25-26, 2017. The championship game, which they won in two sets (26-24, 25-22), was against GPS out of Chattanooga. The Lady Wildcats were 8 and 1 in the tournament. (Photo courtesy Cathy Lawless)

Oak Ridge High School won the Early Bird Tournament Silver Bracket the weekend of Aug. 25-26, 2017. The championship game, which they won in two sets (26-24, 25-22), was against GPS out of Chattanooga. The Lady Wildcats were 8 and 1 in the tournament. (Photo courtesy Cathy Lawless)

 

Undefeated in their district, the Oak Ridge volleyball team has won 12 straight games. They’ll play another district game, their fifth of the season, at home today (Thursday, September 14) at Oak Ridge High School. Here are pictures from the Early Bird Tournament in late August and a game at Bearden on Thursday, September 7. [Read more…]

Volleyball: Undefeated in district, Lady Wildcats win 12 straight

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pictured above during a 3-0 district win at Bearden on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017, is Oak Ridge senior Olivia Milloway (13). (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Pictured above during a 3-0 district win at Bearden on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017, is Oak Ridge senior Olivia Milloway (13). (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Undefeated in their district, the Oak Ridge volleyball team has won 12 straight games. They’ll play another district game, their fifth of the season, at home today (Thursday, September 14) at Oak Ridge High School.

The Lady Wildcats (19-4, 4-0 District 4-AAA) have played four district teams since August 31. They won in three sets at Powell on August 31, at home against Karns on September 5, and at Bearden on September 7.

In their most recent district game, they beat West 3-1 at West on Tuesday.

Oak Ridge will play Campbell County in a district match this evening in the Wildcat Arena at Oak Ridge High School. The junior varsity games start at 5 p.m., and varsity play begins at 6 p.m.

Under this year’s classification, Oak Ridge is in District 4 in Class AAA’s Region 2 along with Bearden, Campbell County, Karns, Halls, Powell, and West. [Read more…]

Soccer: Lady Wildcats win four straight games

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pictured above during a 2-1 win over West at Oak Ridge High School on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017, is freshman Lilah Brown (12). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Pictured above during a 2-1 win over West at Oak Ridge High School on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017, is freshman Lilah Brown (12). (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats soccer team has won its last four games, and the girls have won both of their district games this season.

The most recent win for the girls was a 2-1 victory at home against West on Tuesday. That was a non-district game.

Before that, the Oak Ridge girls won their last three games. Those were a 8-1 win at Heritage on August 30, a 3-1 victory at home against Grace Christian on August 29, and an 8-3 win at Campbell County, a district game, on August 22.

In their first district game on August 17, the Lady Wildcats (6-2-1, 2-0 District 3-AAA) beat Halls 8-0 at home.

Oak Ridge is playing at Farragut (5-5, 3-0 District 4-AAA) in a non-district game at 7 p.m. today (Wednesday, September 13).

Here is the girls’ record of wins and losses so far this season: [Read more…]

Oak Ridge to play Brentwood in boys’ state quarterfinal on Wednesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

2017 Class AAA State Boys' Basketball Tournament Bracket

Oak Ridge (30-2) will play Brentwood (26-8) in a quarterfinal game in the Class AAA boys’ state basketball tournament on Wednesday.

The Oak Ridge-Brentwood game starts at 2:45 p.m. Central time (3:45 Eastern) on Wednesday, March 15, in Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

Here are the other three quarterfinal games on Wednesday: [Read more…]

Cool under pressure, Jones, Gibson lead Wildcats to state

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge senior Tajion Jones (3), who scored a game-high 27 points, shoots from three-point range during a 90-60 win over David Crockett in a Class AAA sectional at Wildcat Arena on Monday, March 6, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Oak Ridge senior Tajion Jones (3), who scored a game-high 27 points, shoots from three-point range during a 90-60 win over David Crockett in a Class AAA sectional at Wildcat Arena on Monday, March 6, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12 p.m. March 7.

Cool under pressure, Oak Ridge seniors Tajion Jones and Anthony Gibson helped lead the Wildcats to the state Class AAA boys’ basketball tournament in Murfreesboro next week.

Jones, a Mr. Basketball finalist, scored a game-high 27 points during a 90-60 win over David Crockett in a sectional at Wildcat Arena on Monday.

“Tonight, he showed why he’s a Mr. Basketball finalist,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said.

Though the team lineups aren’t exactly the same, it was somewhat of a rematch of last year’s sectional, also played at Wildcat Arena, when David Crockett eliminated Oak Ridge 73-70 in overtime. The sectionals determine which eight teams play in the state tournament.

This year’s game wasn’t close.

“We played really well,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said. “This is not easy. It’s hard to get to the state tournament.” [Read more…]

Boys basketball photos: Oak Ridge-Bearden

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge sophomore Herbert Booker (14) shoots the basketball against Bearden sophomore Drew Pember (3) during an 86-73 win for the Wildcats in the Region 2-AAA basketball championship at Wildcat Arena on Thursday, March 2, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Oak Ridge sophomore Herbert Booker (14) shoots the basketball around Bearden sophomore Drew Pember (3) during an 86-73 win for the Wildcats in the Region 2-AAA basketball championship at Wildcat Arena on Thursday, March 2, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Oak Ridge beat a young, talented Bearden team 86-73 in the Region 2-AAA championship at Wildcat Arena on Thursday. Here are photos by Luther Simmons. [Read more…]

Wildcats win Region 2 championship two years in a row

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge beat a young, talented Bearden team 86-73 in the Region 2-AAA basketball championship at Wildcat Arena on Thursday, March 2, 2017. The team is pictured above with coaches, cheerleaders, and the student section. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Oak Ridge beat a young, talented Bearden team 86-73 in the Region 2-AAA basketball championship at Wildcat Arena on Thursday, March 2, 2017. The team is pictured above with coaches, cheerleaders, and the student section. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Oak Ridge senior Tajion Jones bounced back with 24 points and the Wildcats beat a young, talented Bearden team 86-73 in the Region 2-AAA championship at home on Thursday.

It’s the second consecutive regional championship for the Wildcats and their third in the past five years.

Oak Ridge (29-2) will now play David Crockett, the Region 1-AAA runner-up, in a sectional at Wildcat Arena at 7 p.m. Monday.

Bearden (21-9) will play at Science Hill, the Region 1 champion, in another sectional at 7 p.m. Monday.

The eight sectionals will determine which teams get to play in the Class AAA state basketball tournament from March 15-18 at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said the Thursday night win over Bearden, which started four sophomores, was a collective effort. [Read more…]

Upchurch scores 25, but Maryville can’t stop Oak Ridge

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge senior Anthony Gibson (23) led the Wildcats with 13 points during a 46-43 win against Maryville in a Region 2-AAA semifinal elimination game at Wildcat Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Oak Ridge senior Anthony Gibson (23) led the Wildcats with 13 points during a 46-43 win over Maryville in a Region 2-AAA semifinal elimination game at Wildcat Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Maryville senior guard Easton Upchurch scored 25 points and made seven three-point shots on Tuesday, but it wasn’t enough to keep Oak Ridge from advancing to its fifth straight regional championship.

The Wildcats were held to their lowest offensive output of the season in the 46-43 Region 2-AAA semifinal win over the Rebels at Wildcat Arena. No Oak Ridge player scored more than 13, which is unusual.

Maryville Coach Mark Eldridge said Oak Ridge has better players than the Rebels, so his team tried to limit the number of possessions. More possessions mean the better team wins, Eldridge said.

The Wildcats probably had about half as many possessions as they normally do, Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said. Maryville has guards who are good enough that the Rebels could run time off the clock—and they did.

“Sometimes you have to find ways to grind them out,” Green said. “Our guys haven’t had a lot of close games, and our guys kept their composure.”

Oak Ridge (28-2) advances to play Bearden (21-8) in the Region 2-AAA championship at Wildcat Arena at 7 p.m. Thursday. The season is over for Maryville (24-6). [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats win close game to advance to Region 2 championship

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Two steals, a layup, and a free throw in the final minute helped Oak Ridge beat William Blount by one point, 48-47, in a Region 2-AAA semifinal game that came down to the final few seconds on Monday, Feb. 27, 2017. Pictured above are Oak Ridge juniors Jaymi Golden (32) and Destiny Kassner (30). (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Two steals, a layup, and a free throw in the final minute helped Oak Ridge beat William Blount by one point, 48-47, in a Region 2-AAA semifinal game that came down to the final few seconds on Monday, Feb. 27, 2017. Pictured above are Oak Ridge juniors Jaymi Golden (32) and Destiny Kassner (30). (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

Two steals, a layup, and a free throw in the final minute helped Oak Ridge beat William Blount by one point, 48-47, in a regional semifinal game that came down to the final few seconds on Monday.

The Lady Governors led by two points late in the Region 2-AAA semifinal elimination game, Oak Ridge Coach Paige Redman said. But a steal by Lady Wildcats senior Courtney Ellison led to a tying layup by junior Mykia Dowdell.

Then, another Oak Ridge steal led to a William Blount foul and two free throws by Lady Wildcats sophomore Jada Guinn. She missed the first one but hit the second, Redman said. That gave the Lady Wildcats (28-3) a one-point lead with about half a minute remaining.

With just over two seconds to go, Oak Ridge got the basketball. But the Lady Wildcats turned it over with about 1.3 seconds remaining. When the Lady Governors threw it in, Dowdell knocked it out of bounds. The clock ticked down to 0.3 seconds. That wasn’t enough time for William Blount (21-11) to get the ball in bounds and possibly make a game-winning basket. After being nervous—the Lady Governors led 47-45 with 2:14 remaining—Oak Ridge fans were jubilant.

“Wow!” said Stephanie Thompson, Oak Ridge High School assistant principal. “What a win for the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats!” [Read more…]

Girls basketball photos: Oak Ridge-Bearden

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Pictured above are the top two scorers in the Region 2-AAA quarterfinal elimination game at Wildcat Arena on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. Oak Ridge sophomore Jada Guinn (24) scored a game high and career high 32 points for the Lady Wildcats in a 62-56 win over Bearden, and Lady Bulldogs junior Trinity Lee (2) scored 25. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Pictured above are the top two scorers in the Region 2-AAA quarterfinal elimination game at Wildcat Arena on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. Oak Ridge sophomore Jada Guinn (24) scored a game high and career high 32 points for the Lady Wildcats in a 62-56 win over Bearden, and Lady Bulldogs junior Trinity Lee (2) scored 25. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats eliminated Bearden 62-56 in a Region 2-AAA quarterfinal game at home on Friday, despite a high-scoring second-half rally by the Lady Bulldogs. Here are photos by Luther Simmons. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge eliminates Bearden, despite second-half rally by Lady Bulldogs

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge juniors Jaymi Golden (32), left, and Desiree Bates (20), center, play defense against Bearden junior Trinity Lee (2), who led the Lady Bulldogs with 25 points, in a 62-56 loss to the Lady Wildcats in a Region 2-AAA quarterfinal game at Wildcat Arena on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Oak Ridge juniors Jaymi Golden (32), left, and Desiree Bates (20), center, play defense against Bearden junior Trinity Lee (2), who led the Lady Bulldogs with 25 points in a 62-56 loss to the Lady Wildcats in a Region 2-AAA quarterfinal game at Wildcat Arena on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats eliminated Bearden 62-56 in a Region 2-AAA quarterfinal game at home on Friday, despite a high-scoring second-half rally by the Lady Bulldogs.

After scoring only 15 points in the first half, the Bearden girls scored 41 in the second, narrowing an Oak Ridge lead of 24 points in the third quarter to three points late in the fourth.

“It was a fun ball game,” Oak Ridge Coach Paige Redman said. “They did not back down. They did not quit…They went on a great run. We managed to contain it.”

Bearden (24-4) struggled to make three-point shots in the first three quarters. They made only two, both by junior Trinity Lee. That changed in the fourth quarter, when Lee hit four. She led the Lady Bulldogs with 25 points and had 17 of Bearden’s 27 points in the final quarter. She had all six of Bearden’s three-point shots.

Oak Ridge (27-3) was led by sophomore guard Jada Guinn with 32 points, a game high and career high. Like Lee, Guinn also made six three-point shots. She knocked down four in the second quarter alone. [Read more…]