Oak Ridge Today

Basketball photos: Oak Ridge in state quarterfinal game

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Senior Jada Guinn (24) has broken basketball records at Oak Ridge, including most points scored in a game and most points scored in a season. Guinn, a Miss Basketball finalist who has signed to play at Tennessee Tech, is pictured above shooting the basketball during a 65-49 win over Science Hill in a Class AAA girls basketball tournament quarterfinal game in Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Mufreesboro on Thursday, March 7, 2019. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

Senior Jada Guinn (24) has broken basketball records at Oak Ridge, including most points scored in a game and most points scored in a season. Guinn, a Miss Basketball finalist who has signed to play at Tennessee Tech, is pictured above shooting the basketball during a 65-49 win over Science Hill in a Class AAA girls basketball tournament quarterfinal game in Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Mufreesboro on Thursday, March 7, 2019. (Photo by Luther Simmons)

 

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats defeated Science Hill 65-49 in a quarterfinal game of the Class AAA girls basketball tournament in Murfreesboro on Thursday. Here are photos by Luther Simmons.

(Note: The girls’ season ended with a 56-50 loss to Bradley Central during a semifinal game on Friday.) [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats advance to state basketball semifinal with win over Science Hill

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats made it to the state basketball tournament for the third time in four years by beating Dobyns-Bennett 59-42 in a Class AAA sectional game at Wildcat Arena on Saturday, March 2, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats made it to the state basketball tournament for the third time in four years by beating Dobyns-Bennett 59-42 in a Class AAA sectional game at Wildcat Arena on Saturday, March 2, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 3:25 p.m.

Oak Ridge advanced to a state semifinal game on Friday with a 65-49 win over Science Hill in the Class AAA girls basketball tournament in Murfreesboro on Thursday.

The Lady Wildcats trailed in the first quarter by five points, but they went on an 11-0 run to take the lead by the end of that quarter.

The game remained relatively close until Oak Ridge went on a 14-4 run starting at about 3:30 in the third quarter and continuing through the first few minutes of the fourth quarter. The Lady Wildcats then widened their lead in the final six minutes.

The Lady Wildcats (34-2) will play Bradley Central (32-3) in a Class AAA girls semifinal game in Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University at 2:45 p.m. (3:45 p.m. Eastern) on Friday.

Bradley Central advanced by defeating Lebanon 34-26 in another quarterfinal game on Thursday. [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats play in state basketball tournament Thursday

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats made it to the state basketball tournament for the third time in four years by beating Dobyns-Bennett 59-42 in a Class AAA sectional game at Wildcat Arena on Saturday, March 2, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats made it to the state basketball tournament for the third time in four years by beating Dobyns-Bennett 59-42 in a Class AAA sectional game at Wildcat Arena on Saturday, March 2, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge will play in the girls state basketball tournament in Murfreesboro today (Thursday, March 7).

The Lady Wildcats (33-2) will play Science Hill (31-3) in a Division I Class AAA quarterfinal game at 11:30 a.m. (12:30 Eastern) in the Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University.

The other girls quarterfinal game in the BlueCross Basketball Championships on Thursday will feature Bradley Central (31-3) and Lebanon (25-10). That game will start at 10 a.m. (11 a.m. Eastern).

Two other girls quarterfinal games were played Wednesday. Riverdale (30-1) beat Arlington (27-7) 67-50 in the first game, and Houston (29-2) defeated Mt. Juliet (27-6) 58-65 in the other. Riverdale, a Murfreesboro team, has won the Class AAA state championship three years in a row. The Lady Warriors beat the Lady Wildcats 68-36 in the championship game in 2016.

This year, Oak Ridge, the Region 2 champion, made it to the state tournament for the third time in four years by beating Dobyns-Bennett, the Region 1 runner-up, 59-42 in a Class AAA sectional game at Wildcat Arena on Saturday. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge wins Region 2 championship with Guinn’s three-pointer at buzzer

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the Region 2-AAA championship with a 53-50 win over Maryville at Wildcat Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, with a three-point shot at the buzzer by senior Jada Guinn. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the Region 2-AAA championship with a 53-50 win over Maryville at Wildcat Arena on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, after a three-point shot at the buzzer by senior Jada Guinn. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 6:30 a.m. Feb. 28.

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the Region 2-AAA championship with a 53-50 win over Maryville on Wednesday after a three-point shot at the buzzer by senior Jada Guinn.

Guinn, a Miss Basketball finalist who has signed to play at Tennessee Tech, scored a game-high 21 points. She also had at least 10 rebounds.

Guinn, who was named most valuable player of the regional tournament, made two three-point shots in the final 33.9 seconds. The first one was from near the top of the key. She hit the last one-dribble shot from beyond the three-point line near the right sideline after an inbounds pass near half court following a timeout with 1.5 seconds remaining.

Jubilant fans erupted onto the floor of Wildcat Arena, cheering and jumping for joy after the dramatic finish.

Oak Ridge (32-2) will host Dobyns-Bennett (28-7), the Region 1 runner-up, at 7 p.m. Saturday at Wildcat Arena in a Class AAA sectional. The winner of that game will advance to the state tournament in Murfreesboro in March. [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats play for Region 2 championship tonight

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Oak Ridge senior Jada Guinn (24) has passed 2,000 points total scored for the Lady Wildcats, and she set a single-game scoring record of 45 points at Karns on Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. Guinn is pictured above shooting a free throw during a 81-24 win at Clinton on Friday, Jan. 24, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge senior Jada Guinn (24) is pictured above shooting a free throw during a 81-24 win at Clinton on Friday, Jan. 24, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats will play for the Region 2-AAA championship at home tonight (Wednesday, February 27).

Oak Ridge (31-2) will play Maryville (30-2). The Lady Wildcats were the District 3 champion, and the Lady Rebels were the District 4 champion.

Oak Ridge advanced to the championship game by beating William Blount 50-29 in a Region 2 quarterfinal game on Friday and defeating Bearden 50-43 in a semifinal game on Monday.

Maryville advanced to the championship game by beating Anderson County 82-59 in a Region 2 quarterfinal game on Friday and defeating Campbell County 60-52 in a semifinal game on Monday. [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats win fourth straight district championship

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won their fourth straight district basketball championship with a 47-40 win over Campbell County at Karns on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won their fourth straight district basketball championship with a 47-40 win over Campbell County at Karns on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

KARNS—The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won their fourth straight district basketball championship with a 47-40 win over Campbell County at Karns on Tuesday.

The girls rallied from a nine-point 24-15 deficit in the second quarter to take a lead that they didn’t give up at the end of the third quarter. The Lady Wildcats outscored the Lady Cougars 10-5 in the final quarter to expand their margin.

Oak Ridge senior Jada Guinn was named most valuable player of the District 3-AAA tournament, which was played at Karns High School. Guinn has been named district tournament MVP three of the past four years: 2016, 2018, and 2019.

“It feels good,” Guinn said after the Tuesday night win. She said the competitive Campbell County game helped prepare Oak Ridge for the next level, which includes the Region 2-AAA tournament that starts today (Friday, February 22). [Read more…]

Lady Wildcats win championship in Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the championship game in the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic basketball tournament, beating Jefferson County 49-36 at Greeneville on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the championship game in the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic basketball tournament, beating Jefferson County 49-36 at Greeneville on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 30.

GREENEVILLE—After finishing second the past two years, the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats won the championship game in the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic basketball tournament in Greeneville on Saturday, beating Jefferson County 49-36.

It’s the sixth time Oak Ridge (15-2, 3-1 District 3-AAA) has won the title in 10 appearances in the tournament final. The Lady Wildcats have been runner-up four times, including in 2016 and 2017, when they lost to Bradley Central. Oak Ridge’s last championship win in the tournament was in 2002.

The team didn’t want to settle for second place again this year.

“When you want to play for championships, you want to win championships,” Oak Ridge Coach Paige Redman said.

It was the second championship win for Oak Ridge in about a week. The Lady Wildcats won their division championship in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix on Saturday, December 22.

Oak Ridge senior guard Jada Guinn was named the most valuable player of both tournaments. [Read more…]

After two wins at the buzzer, Lady Wildcats play for championship today

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Oak Ridge senior guard Jada Guinn (24) was named most valuable player at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018. She had a winning shot at the buzzer against Daniel Boone in a first-round game at the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic in Greenville on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats Basketball/Paige Redman)

Oak Ridge senior guard Jada Guinn (24) was named most valuable player at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018. She had a winning shot at the buzzer against Daniel Boone in a first-round game at the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic basketball tournament in Greenville on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats Basketball/Paige Redman)

 

Note: This story was updated at 2 p.m.

After two wins at the buzzer this week, the Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats will play for the championship in the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic basketball tournament in Greenville today (Saturday, December 29).

It’s the second championship game in a week for the girls. Oak Ridge (14-2, 3-1 District 3-AAA) won their divisional championship in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix last Saturday.

Oak Ridge senior guard Jada Guinn was named the most valuable player of the Nike Tournament on Saturday, December 22.

She had one of the buzzer-beating shots, a layup, in the Andrew Johnson Bank Ladies Classic this week. That was in the final five seconds of a 50-48 win over Daniel Boone, an upper East Tennessee team, in a first-round game on Wednesday.

The Lady Trailblazers ended the Lady Wildcats’ last season with a 62-51 Class AAA sectional win in March, and Guinn told 5StarPreps, a high school sports website, that she didn’t want to lose to Daniel Boone this week. [Read more…]

Basketball: Smith scores career-high 34 as Wildcats sweep Karns

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Oak Ridge senior Marcus Smith (2) scored a career-high 34 points during an 82-65 win over Karns at Wildcat Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge senior guard Marcus Smith (2) scored a career-high 34 points during an 82-65 win over Karns at Wildcat Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge senior guard Marcus Smith scored a career-high 34 points as the Wildcats and Lady Wildcats swept Karns at home on Tuesday.

Smith also had eight rebounds and five assists during the 82-65 win over the Beavers at Wildcat Arena.

“I was really proud of Marcus,” Oak Ridge Coach Aaron Green said.

Eleven of his points were from the free throw line, where Smith was 11-of-15.

Oak Ridge senior guard JaVonte Thomas scored 18 points for the Wildcats (6-1, 3-0 District 3-AAA) and pulled down 10 rebounds. Senior guard Joe Kesterson added 10 points, with nine of those on three-point shots. Junior guard Isaiah Johnson scored eight, and sophomore forward Jeremy Miller had six points and 10 rebounds. [Read more…]

Guinn scores 32, but Oak Ridge loses at Campbell County

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JACKSBORO—Oak Ridge senior guard Jada Guinn scored 32 points in a 49-48 loss at Campbell County on Friday night, a district basketball game that ended with a battle of free throws.

Guinn, who has signed to play basketball at Tennessee Tech, scored more points than the top two Lady Cougars combined. She had two-thirds of the Oak Ridge offense and made a crucial three-point shot with about 30 seconds remaining.

Campbell County was led by 6-foot-2 junior post Madison Brady, who scored 20 points. That included seven points in the close fourth quarter, when Brady was 5-of-6 from the free throw line.

Brady and Guinn each went to the free throw line three times in the final 38 seconds. Each made five of their six shots. It was another battle between the two teams that have finished in the top two spots in the district in each of the past three seasons. [Read more…]

Basketball photos: Oak Ridge vs. Campbell County in girls’ district championship

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Oak Ridge pulled away from Campbell County in the second half to win its third straight district championship, 60-38, in the girls' basketball tournament at Halls on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. Oak Ridge junior Jada Guinn (24), who was named most valuable player of the tournament, led in scoring with 23 points. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge pulled away from Campbell County in the second half to win its third straight district championship, 60-38, in the girls’ basketball tournament at Halls on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. Oak Ridge junior Jada Guinn (24), who was named most valuable player of the tournament, led in scoring with 23 points. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

HALLS—Oak Ridge pulled away from Campbell County in the second half to win its third straight district championship in the girls’ basketball tournament at Halls on Saturday. They Lady Wildcats beat the Lady Cougars 60-38.

Here are photos from the game. [Read more…]